On April 1, USC Marshall School of Business hosted a special event to commemorate the naming of the Andrew Tavakoli Center for Real Estate, marking a significant milestone in the school’s commitment to advancing real estate education and research. Established with a $10 million gift from Andrew Tavakoli ’86, the center will leverage the school’s academic strengths, industry ties, and location in Southern California to develop a vibrant hub where students, researchers, faculty, and industry leaders can connect and innovate in the sector.
Andrew Tavakoli, CEO and Principal of Tavaco Properties was honored at the ceremony which took place at Moreton Fig. Joined by family and colleagues, Tavakoli expressed his commitment to the center’s mission of developing a cutting-edge real estate hub at his alma mater, USC Marshall.
“By bringing together industry pioneers, top professors, researchers, and innovators, we are creating more than a learning environment; we are building a place where students can collaborate, challenge ideas, and develop the insights needed to shape the future of real estate,” Tavakoli said. “With access to USC’s numerous and immense intellectual capital across its many schools and disciplines, the center will prepare the next generation of industry leaders.”
In her remarks, USC President Carol Folt thanked Tavakoli for his visionary gift and commitment to the university, while reflecting on the significance of building a real estate center in the heart of Los Angeles.
“This is a moment when people are looking forward and saying, ‘This is an area that is of great importance for people,’” Folt said. “A lot of our students would like to work in [real estate], but beyond that, it is at the core of building out our region.”
President Folt, joined by Dean Geoffrey Garrett and Provost Andrew T. Guzman, USC’s senior vice president for academic affairs, presented Tavakoli with a token of the university’s appreciation: a Tommy Trojan statuette.
Beyond the Tavakoli Center, Dean Garrett highlighted Tavakoli’s other contributions to the school. The CEO helped create the Cyrus the Great Teaching Chair in Timeless Leadership and has been a long-term supporter of the Master of Business for Veterans program at the university.
Guzman emphasized the academic priorities of the center and the benefits the hub will provide for students and alumni alike.