The beginnings of a unique Badger partnership have begun to take shape over the past year, and on the weekend of Wisconsin versus Eastern Michigan football game, this partnership took the next step. The Wisconsin Real Estate Program and Athletic Department both have top-notch national reputations, making them a match made in heaven. Currently, the Wisconsin Real Estate Program has six student-athletes in its group of talented young real estate minds, including two football players, and word of the Program is spreading quickly throughout the UW-Madison Athletic Department.
The influx of student-athletes joining the Real Estate Program is largely due to the work of Greg Reed, Associate Director of the Graaskamp Center. Greg’s role in the Center focuses on recruiting and career services for the Real Estate MBA and MS Programs. He also works closely with the Graaskamp team to expand the Center’s role in applied learning and career services for real estate undergraduate students.
A few months ago, Greg received an unexpected email. The UW-Madison Athletic Department invited Greg to the experience of a lifetime at Camp Randall Gameday to recognize and thank him for his work with student-athletes. Greg is a passionate Badger sports fan and he accepted the invitation with great excitement and anticipation.
The weekend began on the afternoon of Friday, September 10th with a tour of Camp Randall and its facilities. Greg was impressed with the academic support system the athletic department has in place for its student-athletes and enjoyed getting to meet the athletic academic advisors in person for the first time. The tour ended on the football field where they watched the last hour of badger practice.
A highlight from the weekend was talking to coach Paul Chryst after practice concluded. Coach Chryst expressed his gratitude for the work Greg has done for his players, and the two quickly connected over their shared major: Political Science. Greg commented that Chryst was “very down to earth and super easy to talk to about our shared experiences majoring in Political Science as undergrads.”
Come game day, Greg and his husband enjoyed a truly action-packed experience as the Badgers competed against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The day began by watching the team arrive and entering the stadium under the arch. Next, they watched the Badgers warm-up, wherein true Greg Reed fashion, the Associate Director talked with a prospective real estate program grad student who also happened to be down on the field. The group then watched the players run out of the tunnel at the start of the game and followed the team out to watch the first quarter from the sidelines of Camp Randall before enjoying the rest of the game from seats in the Stadium.
Greg raved about the very personalized experience the Athletic Department provided and the attention to detail throughout the weekend. The Wisconsin Real Estate Program is thrilled to have so many student-athletes in the program and we hope this trend continues! Thank you, Greg, for representing the program so well – the recognition and appreciation from the Wisconsin Athletic Department is well deserved.