Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/753030
134 S C T / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 P H OTO G R A P H BY L A R S K LOV E P atrice Derrington is bringing both street smarts and book smarts into the classroom. In September 2015 Derrington assumed the post of Marc Holliday associate professor and director of the real estate development program at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Only a year in, Derrington seeks to further elevate what is already a highly regarded graduate-level program, which grants a Master of Science upon completion of the three-semester curriculum. Derrington was an associate professor at New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate when Columbia came knocking, and she has also taught at Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of Derrington's strengths is the way she combines academic know-how with practical industry experience — in the form of nearly 15 years in real estate development and investment Patrice Derrington brings 15 years of experience to Columbia University By Beth Mattson-Teig Can do, can teach management. Most of that time was spent as a managing director with Victory Capital Management, where she managed the $3.2 billion David Rockefeller global property and private funds investment portfolio. Her academic résumé commands no less respect. The Australia native earned a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Queensland, Brisbane; an MBA from Harvard; and a doctorate in architecture and civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. "The fact that the industry now has graduate professional degrees being offered is a very exciting evolution for the industry, and I wanted to participate in how that may be formed," said Derrington. "Patrice brings the best of both worlds, which is critical for a best- in-class real estate program," said John Cattonar, vice president of asset management at Equity One and himself a 2012 graduate. "Her industry experience ensures that the subject matter is relevant and credible, while her background in education enables her to implement a curriculum and teaching structure that effectively transfers skills and knowledge to students in a way that can be retained and used in the real world." Cattonar serves the program as a guest lecturer, and he provides the students with an annual case study on retail real estate development. In addition to her responsibilities as program director, Derrington remains an active professor, teaching four courses per year on topics that include finance and investment. Perhaps not surprisingly, two major themes of the program are technology and the globalization that occurs through cross-border investment and development. "We are very interested in the shopping center sector," said Derrington, "because it is at the nexus of the influence of technology in terms of how retailing is performed." Students are encouraged to confront problems N E W S M A K E R S