Prestigious Scholarship Honors Graduate Student and Highlights Auburn University’s MRED Program
NEW BERN, N.C. (PRWEB) June 05, 2015 -- Auburn University student Garret Biss recently received a $10,000 Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Foundation. The coveted scholarship will facilitate Biss’s efforts to complete the university’s Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program and successfully transition from being a U.S. Marine to a real estate professional.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive the Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship,” Biss said. “Making the drastic career change from military aviation to real estate development and investment is both challenging and, at times, unnerving. But the recognition bestowed by this scholarship provides assurance that I am on the right path.”
The ICSC Foundation awarded Biss and other student scholarships during a May 19 ceremony at RECon, ICSC’s global retail real estate convention. Each year, the Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship is made available to two full-time graduate students who are ICSC members and indicate a preference for a career in retail real estate. The generous educational award is designed to honor the recipient’s onset dedication and potential to advance retail real estate. The scholarship is named after the late Charles Grossman, who served as the foundation’s chairman from 2006-2007 and was instrumental in taking the foundation in its current direction. Established in 1957, ICSC is a premier global trade association with more than 70,000 members in over 100 countries, including shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials.
In addition to honoring Biss, the Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship lends credibility to Auburn’s budding MRED program. The program is a distinctive area of study in Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction and the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. The completion of AUMRED is a key component of Biss’s plans for exchanging his military lifestyle for a career in real estate. Biss, who is assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, N.C., is looking forward to leveraging the expertise he is gaining through the MRED program to serve his community. “I am certain that Charles Grossman would agree that proper education is the key to my success as a real estate professional—an education that will come easier with the benefits of this scholarship,” Biss said.
Community service is an issue that is near and dear to Biss’s heart. He is the founder of One Million Goal Inc., a nonprofit that is diligently working to combat the world’s water problem. The organization’s objective is to bring drinking water to one million men, women and children worldwide. Biss is also the author of a new book, “Charity The Gifts of Giving,” which discusses how giving, kindness and acts of generosity can have a positive effect on donors. Proceeds from the sale of the book help further the critical efforts of One Million Goal Inc.
Biss is looking forward to continuing his philanthropic efforts as he advances toward a professional career in real estate. For general inquiries about Biss, his foundation or his new book, please call 252-349-0054 or visit http://www.onemilliongoal.org. To learn more about Auburn University’s MRED program, call 334-844-5078 or visit http://mred.auburn.edu/program.php. Or for more information about the ICSC Foundation scholarship, contact Valerie Cammiso at 646-728-3559
About Garret Biss
Garret Biss is the author of “Charity The Gifts of Giving” and founder of One Million Goal Inc. Biss is passionate about encouraging charitable giving, fighting the world’s water crisis and promoting lifelong learning. He also has a deep interest in the real estate industry. Biss, who is currently in the U.S. Marine Corps, is pursuing a Master of Real Estate Development degree from Auburn University. Once he completes his studies and retires from the military, he is looking forward to a career as a real estate developer, real estate investment manager and, ultimately, a civic leader. Biss, who grew up in Wilmington, Del., currently resides in New Bern, N.C.
About Auburn University’s MRED Program
Auburn University’s Executive Master of Real Estate Development program delivers a solid, broad-based graduate-level education that produces students with outstanding leadership skills and substantial professional knowledge. The program emphasizes best development practices related to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, economic resilience, financial feasibility, deal structuring, and design excellence. The Auburn University MRED program is an executive graduate degree offered jointly by the College of Architecture, Design and Construction and the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. The program recruits students who have demonstrated excellence in their professional careers and who have the potential to become future industry leaders.
Garret Biss, Founder, One Million Goal Inc., http://www.onemilliongoal.org, 252-349-0054, [email protected]
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