Marc Holliday, a Lehigh University alumnus, and his wife Sheree made a gift of $5 million to the Integrated Real Estate (ire@l) program in the College of Business and Economics. The donation is made through the Holliday Foundation.
"I received an outstanding education at Lehigh, which is one of the nation's great universities. It was the initial foundation for my professional success. The purpose of this gift is to recognize that and to enhance a program that will produce future business leaders. I hope alumni and others in the real estate industry will join me in this supportive endeavor," Holliday, a 1988 graduate and the CEO of SL Green Realty Corp in New York, said in a statement.
The ire@l academic minor launched in 2009 is the only program in the United States that permits Lehigh undergraduates to minor in real estate, regardless of their major.
Out of the $5 million, the foundation's initial gift of $3.5 million will go towards establishing The Marc Holliday '88 Professor of Practice and Director of the ire@l Program, while the $1.5 million will support the new Marc Holliday ire@l Operating Endowment Fund.
"Marc's gift and matching challenge will enhance ire@l and student experience even further. His leadership, and that of other forward-thinking alumni, raises the standards of excellence at Lehigh," said President Alice P. Gast.
The University said that the gift will help them create a more vigorous and state-of-the-program and recruit an experienced real estate professional to lead the ire@l program to help attract students across the country.
