Dr. Donald R. Epley has joined the University of South Alabama as the Distinguished Professor of Real Estate in the Mitchell College of Business. At USA, he has started the Mitchell College of Business Center for Real Estate Studies and has begun teaching courses in real estate and real estate valuation. Epley will work with the USA Mitchell College of Business faculty to develop new courses to meet student demand, and possibly a real estate concentration in the future.

“We are delighted to have someone with Dr. Epley’s outstanding record and national reputation in the area of real estate,” said Dr. Carl Moore, dean of the USA Mitchell College of Business. “Under his direction, we plan to develop a real estate program that will focus on both residential and commercial real estate development. This will be a great asset for our students and for the real estate professionals along the Gulf Coast.”

Dr. Donald Epley

The new real estate program also will include the study of real estate expertise related to state and federal governmental agencies.

“The Gulf Coast area is growing rapidly and shows a great deal of potential both for educating students, working with real estate professionals and conducting research into real estate markets,” Epley said. “I’m certainly looking forward to working with the professionals in the real estate business in this area.”

Through the Center for Real Estate Studies, Epley and his students plan to release a quarterly analysis of the local economy based on employment and wages as well as reports on property values and an economic index report.

Before joining USA, Epley held the position of Lyon Distinguished Professor of Finance and Real Estate at Washington State University. He previously held the Warren Chair of Real Estate at Mississippi State University and the Bennett Chair of Real Estate at the University of Arkansas. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama.

Epley is the author and coauthor of eight textbooks and over 80 referenced journal articles. Textbook topics include real estate decisions, real estate finance and investments, income property appraisal, and brokerage. He has served as president of the American Real Estate Society, president of the American Real Estate Foundation, and as an elected trustee of the Appraisal Foundation.

Epley received bachelor and master’s degrees from Wichita State University and a doctorate from the University of Missouri. He holds CCIM, MAI, and SRA professional designations and is a licensed real estate broker and certified general real estate appraiser.