UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alum Arthur Pasquarella, a longtime member of the Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board, and his wife, Gail, made a $1 million gift in July to create the Arthur P. Pasquarella Professorship in Real Estate in the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
“It’s important to me, and to everyone on the board, that Penn State be seen as one of the leading real estate programs in the country,” he said. “Gail and I are happy to help make that happen.”
Endowed faculty positions, like the Arthur P. Pasquarella Professorship, play a vital role in advancing academic excellence by enabling the holder to pursue innovative research, engage in professional development and bring cutting-edge insights into the classroom.
For students, the impact can be equally profound. Endowed funds allow faculty to enhance their teaching, expand mentorship and research opportunities, and elevate the reputation of academic programs, all of which can contribute positively to the student experience.
John and Karen Arnold Dean Corey Phelps affirmed that endowed faculty positions, like the Arthur P. Pasquarella Professorship, are a cornerstone of academic excellence.
“This extraordinary gift reflects a shared belief in the power of education and research to shape the future of real estate,” Phelps said. “Endowed faculty positions like this are vital to our mission, allowing us to recognize and support outstanding faculty whose scholarship continues to elevate Smeal’s reputation globally, and I am grateful to Art and Gail for their generous support.”
Pasquarella earned a bachelor’s in finance from Penn State in 1979 and a master’s in real estate and investment analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980.
He began his career at Strouse, Greenberg Financial Corporation in the income property mortgage banking business. He then spent five years as vice president of the Investment Sales Division of Helmsley-Greenfield Inc., negotiating major real estate investment transactions throughout the eastern United States on behalf of institutional investors. He joined Equus Capital Partners Ltd. (formerly known as BPG Properties) in 1987, expanding the regional company into a national real estate investment and development firm. He currently serves as the firm’s vice chairman and principal.
With more than 40 years of professional experience and a deep commitment to real estate education, Pasquarella was among the first to be appointed to the Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board when it was established in the late 2000s. The board includes business, government and academic professionals who are interested in promoting real estate education and scholarship at Penn State.
“It’s been rewarding to be a part of this tremendous growth for the real estate program,” Pasquarella said. “Over time, the program added faculty members, provided additional course offerings and, eventually, Real Estate was reestablished as a major (rather than an option within the Risk Management major) at Penn State. The board has been passionate in having real estate education and research at Smeal grow and advance. That starts with a strong faculty.”