Conceived
by Jay W. Levine, CCIM, and other early members, including Victor Lyon, CCIM,
the CCIM Institute has built its reputation on delivering the most in-depth
education and analytical tools available in the commercial real estate
industry. Both Levine and Lyon were instrumental in developing specialized
commercial real estate education. However, they also saw the need to establish the
CCIM Foundation to provide support for students pursuing the designation. These
two early CCIMs left a legacy of commitment, passion, and financial
contributions to establish the Foundation’s solid financial footing.
The two men met in the 1960s when Levine
started teaching the courses for the Certified Property Exchangor, or CPE,
program in Washington State. When Levine was chairman of the International
Traders Club (ITC/Exchange Division of the National Institute of Real Estate
Brokers), he and Lyon talked about offering more formal versions of the courses
through that entity.
In 1966, the NIREB acquired the CPE
program and in 1967, the two men taught the first national education offering. In
1969, the CPE designation became the Certified Commercial Investment Member, or
CCIM, designation and the forerunner of today’s CCIM Institute was born.
In the ensuing years, Levine and
Lyon became lifelong friends and dedicated time to teaching courses. In 1986, the
Victor L. Lyon Award was created, and Levine was the first recipient for
his vast contributions to the CCIM education program. In 1996 Levine received
the first Jay W. Levine, CCIM, Distinguished Service Award, to recognize his
outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the CCIM Institute. Finally,
the Jay W. Levine Leadership Development Academy was created in his honor. This nine-month program is designed to build leadership
skills in CCIMs to prepare them for roles within the Institute as well as in
their communities and professional careers.
In its early days, the CCIM
Foundation was a committee of the CCIM Institute that provided CI 101
scholarships through the CCIM chapters. Both Levine and Lyon had the desire and
recognized the need to provide financial support so the work of the Foundation
could continue for future generations.
Lyon’s family made a significant
financial contribution to the Foundation through a bequest from Lyon’s estate
and also established a Named Endowed Scholarship in the name of his wife,
Elise, upon her passing. In 2003, Levine left a legacy contribution of more
than $2 million through the donation of real estate and other assets. He wanted
the Foundation to continue its work of providing scholarships to worthy
recipients, assisting individuals in pursuing the CCIM designation, and helping
them to become knowledgeable and effective specialists in the commercial real
estate industry. Funds from his legacy gift are used for matching funds on
Chapter Named Endowed Scholarships. There currently are 60 Chapter Named
Endowed Scholarships with a goal of reaching 100 by 2017.
At present, because of the
financial support of these individuals and many others in the Trustees’ Circle
and the Chancellors’ Circle, the Foundation continues to financially assist individuals
with course scholarships and provide chapters with matching funds on Named
Endowed Scholarships. This is an ongoing objective of the Foundation for which
support is still required.
As the CCIM Founding Fathers did when
identifying charitable organizations for annual and legacy donation purposes,
consider the CCIM Foundation in your own planning. It’s customary for
individuals to provide donations to charities. Often individuals include universities
from which they graduated to acknowledge the valuable impact their degree has
had on their career. The same applies when obtaining a valuable designation to
demonstrate a specialization in an industry. Thus, while doing your annual
planning along with your estate planning, consider including the CCIM
Foundation along with your other charities of choice.
Go to www.ccimef.org for more information on providing support to
the CCIM Foundation.
Mary Stark-Hood, JD, CFP is president
of the Hood Group, which provides consulting services to business organizations
and foundations. She currently serves as a consultant to the CCIM Foundation.
Contact her at maryshood@comcast.net.