Whitman Janmester Courses Give Students Inside Look at Real Estate in New York City
This January, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management offered a portfolio of five “Janmester” weeklong intensive courses in NYC taken by more than 100 students. Two of those courses gave students the opportunity to learn about real estate as a business and asset. Guest lectures, alumni panels and an industry networking night enhanced the curriculum by bridging concepts to practice and professionals.
Case Studies in Real Estate
Taught by Professor of Finance Erasmo Giambona, the Michael J. Falcone Chair in Real Estate, this course builds on foundational real estate and finance principles. It examines the real estate space and capital markets using practical examples across various property types. Core topics include cash flow analysis, property valuation and specialized financing techniques.
The Janmester 2026 class featured guest lectures from two accomplished industry leaders, Steve Charney ’81, chair at Peckar & Abramson P.C. and member of the Whitman Advisory Council, and Jason Isaacson ’97, president of IP Capital Partners.
The course culminated in a panel discussion featuring alumni from leading companies in real estate bringing decades of collective experience to the table:
- Neal Casey ’12, Managing Director, Head of Originations, UBS
- Chris LaBianca ’92 MBA, Managing Director, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking
- Jeff Rickert ’12, ’13 M.S., Managing Director, STS Structured Products, UBS
- Lauren Villano ’21 MBA, Managing Director, QuadReal Property Group
The panel gave students a candid look at how real estate deals come together, from structuring and financing to closing and the varied career paths across the industry.
Alternative Assets: A Practitioner’s Perspective
Taught by Professor of Real Estate and Finance Milena Petrova and Tom Barkley, professor of finance practice, this course featured accomplished alumni across a range of roles and asset areas, including real estate, infrastructure and private equity. The slate of 10 guest speakers who shared their perspectives over the course of the week included three accomplished Whitman alumni in real estate.
Hal Fetner ’83, president and CEO of Fetner Properties and a member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees and the Whitman Advisory Council; Peter Hungerford ’05, co-founder and CEO of Longacre Asset Management and founder and managing principal of PH Realty LLC; and Andrew Morelli ’25, analyst at Longacre Asset Management, gave students a firsthand look at how real estate investment decisions are made and what it takes to build a successful career in the space.
Students from both courses, joined by classmates who were in NYC participating in the annual Whitman on Wall Street career trip, had the opportunity to attend a Real Estate Industry Networking Night at the Syracuse University Fisher Center. More than 30 alumni and friends of Whitman turned out for the event.
The evening gave students the chance to practice networking, learn more about roles and essential skills and make connections that could lead to internships and full-time opportunities down the road. This annual event also gives Whitman alumni working in real estate in NYC the chance to reconnect and grow their Orange network.
It’s the kind of week that’s hard to replicate in a classroom alone: real deals, real alumni and real conversations that could shape where these students land next.
