Records of the Minnesota Chair in Real Estate

The Minnesota Chair in Real Estate was originally established in 1981, serving as the only four-year real estate program offered at a public university within Minnesota at its inception. Its creation was sponsored and funded by a variety of benefactors, including the Minnesota Department of Commerce, St. Cloud State University, and private donations from prominent businessmen throughout the St. Cloud area and greater Minnesota. The Minnesota Chair in Real Estate program offered enrolled students the opportunity to acquire a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate, a Master of Business Administration degree, and also enabled its students to work directly with various private businesses and governmental agencies as part of its Real Estate Research Center initiative. The program has had four heads over the course of its existence, including George Karvel (1981-1996), Steven Mooney (1996-2019), Kelly Jameson (2020-2022), and Seongsu David Kim (July 2023-present).

George Karvel was a real estate agent and faculty member at St. Cloud State University, who served as one of the founders of the Minnesota Chair in Real Estate program. Karvel served as the original head of the program between 1981 and 1986, after which that role was assumed by his colleague Steven Mooney. In addition to his work at SCSU, Karvel also regularly appeared as a guest on WCCO’s Sunday morning news broadcasts to offer advice about his profession, and also managed a personal advice column called “Karvel’s Corner,” where he provided responses to questions about economic and financial matters mailed in by his readers.