TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida State University College of Business has received a $250,000 gift from the Kislak Family Fund for its Center for Real Estate Education & Research. The gift will be used to support the expansion of the center's programs serving students, faculty and the Florida real estate and business community.

"We are so grateful to be receiving support from the Kislak Family Fund," said Dean Gatzlaff, the center's director and the Mark C. Bane Professor of Business Administration at Florida State. "With these funds, the center will be able to enhance the opportunities in real estate for our students, faculty and community."

The gift is centered on three initiatives:

• The expansion of the center's "Market Strategy" forums and creative program partnerships. Held in Miami, Tampa and the North Florida area, the forums are designed to engage Florida's business leaders in addressing the critical issues facing the state's business communities and real estate industry. Funds are provided to support student participation in these forums, as well as the program's emerging international partnerships.
• The creation of Kislak Awards to recognize and promote outstanding student achievement.
• The creation of a Kislak Scholars program to support faculty scholars, organize a research symposium for leading scholars in real estate economics and finance, and provide matching support for research grants. The research symposium, conducted in partnership with the DeVoe Moore Center at Florida State and the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, is tentatively planned for April 2010.

The Kislak gift provides matching funds to the external and internal funding allocated to each of the program initiatives.

The Kislak Family Fund Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1993 by Jay and Jean Kislak to support education, arts and humanities, and other worthwhile charitable endeavors in the United States and abroad. Based in Miami Lakes, Fla., the fund provides donations to a wide range of nonprofit organizations and projects.

Housed in the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Business Law at The Florida State University, the Center for Real Estate Education & Research (www.fsurealestate.com) was established to enhance the university's real estate program; expand student opportunities; broaden understanding of the economic, social and environmental fabric of Florida's urban communities; and engage Florida State's alumni, academic and professional constituencies. The real estate program at Florida State is consistently ranked among the nation's best.

For more information about the College of Business, please go to www.cob.fsu.edu.