Contact:

Jeff Zipper, Vice President of Communications
407/438-1400, ext. 2314
JeffZ@far.org

Marla Martin, Communications Manager
407/438-1400, ext. 2326
MarlaM@far.org

Florida Association of Realtors® Supports UF Real Estate Scholarships

ORLANDO, Fla., February 2004 -- The Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) believes in taking steps to support the continued vitality of the real estate profession and in giving back to the community. FAR accomplishes those goals by supporting several real estate scholarships, which are also making life easier for two students at the University of Florida (UF) this year.

Students Nicholas Kastanias and Keith Goldfaden each received $3,500 scholarships for the 2003-2004 academic year from a fund that FAR established at UF. Kastanias and Goldfaden are enrolled in graduate programs at UF, seeking a master’s in real estate degree.

The scholarship program was established in 1995 with funds from the now-defunct Florida Realtors Educational Foundation, which as a part of FAR awarded scholarships to individual students at several schools. Before dissolving, the foundation donated $100,000 to UF, and the state of Florida partly matched FAR’s donation with $50,000 to create an endowment. The program is administered through UF’s Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) department in the College of Business. Notably, UF is one of only a handful of universities nationwide that offers a Master’s of Arts in Real Estate program. Anyone accepted in the program is considered for one of FAR’s real estate scholarships.

Expressing their gratitude to FAR for its commitment to UF and to enhancing the real estate profession, this year's scholarship recipients agree that the funding serves to smooth their course of study at the university. “Your assistance has enabled me to return to school and to pursue a graduate degree in real estate,” Kastanias wrote in a thank-you letter to FAR. “I look forward to working with your organization's professionals in the future.”

For more information about the program, contact Pam DeMichele at UF at (352) 392-5808 or go to UF’s Web site at www.ufrealestate.cba.ufl.edu.

The UF scholarships are in addition to FAR's annual Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors, which offers a total of $41,000 in scholarship awards. The deadline for this year's essay entries is March 17, 2004. To find out more about the scholarship/essay contest, go to FAR's Media Center Web site at http://media.living.net.

The Florida Association of Realtors, the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 100,000 members in 70 boards/associations.

© 2003 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS