Real estate alums give building to UW-Madison

A unique gift from TOLD Development Co., Minneapolis, has created the Robert E. Wangard Chair in Real Estate at the UW–Madison School of Business. TOLD Development has offices in Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

TOLD is donating a $17.5-million building located in Eau Claire, Wis. An agreement structured by the UW Foundation calls for the income from rent on the mortgaged property to generate income for the real estate chair.

James Shilling, chair of the Real Estate and Urban Land Economics department, said, “The Wangard chair will allow us to advance the department’s educational and research programs and provide scholarships. The inventive manner in which the gift is structured allows us to realize some benefits immediately with potential for even greater support in the future.”

Bryant Wangard, president of TOLD, established the gift in memory of his father, Robert. Bryant Wangard graduated from the UW–Madison with a BBA in 1977 and earned a master’s degree in real estate in 1979. He has served as president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association (WREAA) and was president of its national board of directors. Also involved in structuring the gift was Mike Arneson, TOLD executive, who earned his master’s degree in real estate from the UW in 1981. He also has served as president of the national board of directors of WREAA. Arneson manages the firm’s Milwaukee office.

Dean Andrew J. Policano said, “UW’s real estate alums have provided outstanding support to the school. This latest gift shows the creativity and generosity that is a hallmark of the UW real estate alum.”

The gift will be formally accepted at a lunch on Monday, May 4, in Madison. Olga Wangard, Robert Wangard’s widow, will receive a plaque commemorating the chair created in her husband’s name. UW–Madison Chancellor David Ward and Policano are scheduled to attend.

UW–Madison’s graduate real estate program is routinely ranked among the top three in the country by national publications including U.S. News & World Report.