Blueprint for Success

Villanova School of Business students routinely acknowledge the accessibility and genuine support of faculty. Shawn Howton, PhD, faculty director, The Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate and professor, Finance, is no exception. In fact, his commitment to fostering relationships among students, faculty and real estate professionals has fueled his exceptional growth of the DiLella Center- with more to come.

Learning Through Experience

Dr. Howton knows firsthand how relationships and mentoring can shape a career. While pursuing his MBA at Southern Illinois University, Dr. Howton served as a research fellow for several faculty members whom he admired - for their work as well as their career path. The mix of teaching and research in academia appealed to Howton, so he turned to these faculty members for career advice, which ultimately led to a PhD program at Florida State University.

Dr. Howton joined VSB in 1999 as a finance professor, but ten years ago, he was tapped for a unique opportunity. At the time, Villanova lacked a real estate curriculum. Daniel M. DiLella ‘73 VSB, president and chief executive officer of Equus Capital Partners, wanted to provide Villanova students with the skills and experience for a career in commercial real estate and made a significant contribution to establish the endowed program that bears his name. DiLella asserts. “The Center empowers alumni and friends to support students interested in real estate with the opportunities they need to enjoy successful and rewarding careers.”

When Dr. Howton became the faculty head of the newly established DiLella Center, he brought to the role a deep understanding of VSB values with a willingness to create ties to the industry. “Real estate strategically aligns with the VSB curriculum,” Dr. Howton explains. “Our liberal arts foundation makes the difference. Our students are well-rounded–strong problem solvers and excellent presenters. They also benefit from having great [industry] mentors.”

Before developing VSB’s real estate curriculum, Dr. Howton sought out industry experts for perspective. He attended investment committee meetings, soaking up industry strategies, decision-making metrics, and development processes. His dedication to preparing students for the practical realities of a real estate career earned him the respect of industry professionals- many of whom have become instrumental to the program’s success.

Among them are Visiting Professor Charlie Davidson, a 25-year industry veteran with leading real estate firms including Equus Capital Partners; Center Fellow Tony Ziccardi, vice president of development at Brandywine Realty Trust; and Center Director Jessica Taylor, a former commercial real estate banker. Dr. Howton recruited Davidson and Ziccardi to share their deep industry experience and Taylor to manage day-to-day center operations and alumni engagement.

“Students thrive when they see how to apply what they’re learning,” Dr. Howton says of experiential learning. The DiLella Center hosts the premise undergraduate real estate case competition - an opportunity for students from around the country to test their analytical skills against real-life cases. VSB has collected an impressive number of trophies over the years, including two first-place finishes, four in second place, and one in third place.

“At first, students from Cornell, Wharton, New York University, and Wisconsin would underestimate Villanova,” Dr. Howton says wryly. “That doesn’t happen now.”

Growing the Program

Dr. Howton wants to build even stronger connections to the real estate industry. The newly launched Nova Next Council of Real Estate alumni is an important step in that direction. He also looks to strengthen cross-campus relationships.

“In ten years, the program will touch on all the ways that real estate impacts the world, from economics to civil engineering to government, even sustainability,” explains Dr. Howton.

Above all, the Center looks to uphold Augustinian values. “Whether it's with government agencies, employers, or especially communities,” Dr. Howton emphasizes, “we need to work together in pursuit of the highest quality of life.”

Originally published in the Winter 2017 Issue of Villanova Business magazine.