Eligibility and Program Requirements:

• You can participate if you can identify at least 20 students across local colleges for a minimum of three years (total of 60 students).
• Ideally, these colleges should be close enough for students to attend in-person ULI meetings (virtual attendance is also acceptable).
• Your programming should cater to a diverse group of students, reflecting ULI’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Funding from this program goes directly to supporting students, not university staff memberships.

District Council Responsibilities:

• Develop Relationships: Build connections with colleges and universities in your area.
• Student Selection: Choose students based on academic standing, professor recommendations, commitment to ULI principles, and leadership potential. Students can reapply for additional years.
• Program Events: Organize at least four events specifically for your Etkin Scholars, including a welcome event in the fall and a commencement event in the spring. You’re encouraged to create additional innovative programming like mentorship programs, project visits, or engagement with local ULI networks.
• Track Student Progress: Help ULI Learning track Etkin Scholars for at least five years after their program year. This includes tracking their careers, ULI engagement, and whether they entered the real estate field.
• Staff Time: ULI recommends you allocate at least 5 hours per student per year (approximately 4 days per year for a cohort of 20 students).

Etkin Scholar Requirements:

• Students must be currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students.
• They should be studying real estate, finance, architecture, planning, urban design, or other related disciplines (though not mandatory).
• Students can be in a degree or certificate program and can be enrolled full-time or part-time.
• They are expected to devote about three hours per month to ULI activities and attend your District Council’s Etkin Scholar events.
• During their year, they’ll need to:
  1. Complete a free ULI Welcome webinar.
  2. Set their ULI member preferences and update their profile.

Etkin Scholar Benefits:

• They will receive full benefits of ULI Associate Membership for their program year, including access to the ULI member directory, knowledge finder, case studies, Urban Land magazine, discounts, and local events.
• They can join ULI at the student rate for one year after their program year.
  They can attend as many free District Council local events (excluding major fundraising events and confidential committee meetings).
• They will have access to all courses in the Foundations of Real Estate (FoRE) certificate program for free.

Launching the Program:

• ULI Learning will share an electronic application form with you. You can share this with faculty to distribute to students.
• ULI may also use social media marketing to reach students directly.
• You will review student applications and select participants.

ULI Learning’s Role:

• They will manage the overall program and provide program guidance.
• They will offer national kickoff and commencement webinars for Etkin Scholars.
• They will curate existing ULI presentations for your use with Etkin Scholars.

Securing Funding:

The ULI Etkin Scholars Program can be run successfully with a budget between $5,000 and $20,000 per year, depending on factors like staff time, event costs, and the number of scholars you plan to support.

To secure funding for your District Council’s Etkin Scholars Program, you can reach out to the ULI Foundation directly at [email protected].

Additional Resources:

• A detailed budget example for a District Council cohort of 20 students is provided in the guidance document. A ULI Americas staff member can assist in budget pre-planning.
• The program’s success will be measured by factors like the number of participating District Councils, colleges and universities, students, and satisfaction levels.

By following these guidelines, your District Council can successfully launch the ULI Etkin Scholars Program and cultivate the next generation of real estate leaders.

If you are interested in launching a ULI Etkin Scholars program, please contact [email protected] for more information.