Warrington professor awarded for distinguished service in premier real estate finance association

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert A. Connolly, Adjunct Professor of Finance and Real Estate, is the 2022 recipient of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) George Bloom Award. Connolly is the third member of Warrington’s faculty to receive the award.

The George Bloom Award recognizes an individual in the real estate and urban economics industry for their distinguished contributions to the AREUEA during their career. Connolly will receive the award at the association’s virtual annual meeting in January 2022.

Connolly, in his role as Executive Vice President of AREUEA, managed the modernization of the association’s technology foundation. Specifically, he worked with the AREUEA team to install the new IT infrastructure that manages the association’s records and website.

“It’s like the Boy Scouts motto – leave the campsite better than you found it,” he said, reflecting on the impact of his efforts over the course of almost three years. “Now, we have a completely different foundation for IT. It’s a good feeling to know we worked collaboratively to make the organization better.”

In addition to Connolly, Warrington’s David Ling, Ken and Linda McGurn Professor and Director of the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate, and Professor Emeritus Halbert Smith are recipients of the George Bloom Award.

Connolly came to Warrington in 2021 after teaching finance, economics, real estate development and international business to executives, undergraduate, MBA and Ph.D. students for 30 years at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. Prior to his tenure at UNC Kenan Flagler, Connolly also taught for almost a decade at the University of California – Irvine and the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. In the spring of 2022, Connolly will teach the capstone course for students in the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate.

His research covers a range of topics including real estate, stock-bond dynamics, asset pricing and capital markets, R&D and firm value and a selection of papers regarding skill and luck in professional golf.

Connolly received his Ph.D., master’s and bachelor’s degrees in economics all from the University of Maryland – College Park.