Industry executive Matthew Roland appointed as program director of UB’s real estate development program

Matthew Roland, AICP, an urban planner and real estate development professional with over 20 years of industry experience, has assumed the newly created leadership role for the School’s growing real estate development program.

As assistant dean and clinical assistant professor in real estate development, Roland will provide administrative, teaching and industry engagement support for the MSRED,  which launched in 2015 as SUNY’s only master’s degree in real estate development. The program already has more than 60 alumni and has added dual degrees with a Master of Business Administration and an MS in Finance, a forthcoming minor in real estate development and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing that will launch in Fall 2022.

Roland comes to UB with diverse planning, economic development and real estate development experience through previous roles as a consultant to the U.S. Department of the Navy as well as roles with the Clover Group, Hamister Group and Iskalo Development, working on real estate and planning projects across Western New York and in over 20 states. He holds a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies from Cornell University.

In addition to his faculty position, Roland will work in partnership with Dean Robert Shibley as well as the leadership in the Departments of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning to build enrollment and expand the program’s practice-based research in critical fields such as affordable housing and inclusive community development. 

According to Shibley, Roland joins the program at a pivotal point in its growth and reinforces its alignment with the School’s core mission to advance a more equitable and sustainable built environment.

“From housing affordability and aging infrastructure to health disparities and the climate crisis, the challenges facing cities today require interdisciplinary solutions that engage the full scope of the built environment professions,” said Shibley, a SUNY Distinguished Professor. “Matt brings both the industry expertise and interdisciplinary perspective required to elevate real estate development as a critical partner in our work on the evolution of future cities.”

“I’m excited to apply my professional knowledge and experience to help students understand the fundamental real-world forces and complex interdisciplinary tradeoffs in real estate,” said Roland, adding that the 'symbiotic relationship' across the School’s programs is productive ground for addressing complex urban problems.

“With careful planning and design, along with better financial and economic policies, we can begin to address the inequalities created in the real estate industry, and help foster a more inclusive and sustainable pattern of development in the future.”

The MS in Real Estate Development is distinguished by its intensively interdisciplinary curriculum rooted in comprehensive study of the built environment. Students take courses with top scholars from the Department of Architecture and Department of Urban and Regional Planning in addition to specialized courses taught by clinical faculty from Buffalo’s development community. The three-semester, 48-credit-hour program includes courses on urban design, affordable housing, planning and development law, historic preservation, development financing, construction management, architectural design and economic development planning.

Meanwhile, the program’s “community-as-classroom” approach situates students in the surrounding city and region, where they conduct field work, explore the urban context, and engage with developers, city officials and community stakeholders. Designed for new and continuing real estate professionals, the program offers a signature “capstone studio” focused on an actual site in Buffalo with a client team and real-world project constraints.

Among Roland’s top priorities is building enrollment in the affordable housing certificate program, which is designed to prepare graduates to help cities balance rapid development with shortages in quality, affordable housing for all. The certificate program will offer students focused course offerings and independent research opportunities through the School’s Affordable Housing Initiative, which launched in 2018 to develop affordable housing prototypes, building methods and policies.

Roland said he is eager to engage industry leaders and community partners from Buffalo to New York City and beyond to expand experiential learning opportunities and enhance student professional development.

His professional affiliations include the Urban Land Institute, the largest network of real estate and land use experts in the world. He serves on the executive committee of ULI’s Western New York Chapter and chairs the organization’s UrbanPlan program engaging high school, university and community students in real-world planning and development projects.  Roland also serves on the executive committee of NAIOP (commercial real estate development association) Upstate New York Chapter.  He is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

The MSRED program provides a deep base of industry engagement. Its Advisory Council of more than a dozen local professionals has facilitated scholarships, mentorship, visiting lectures and national conference participation. The MSRED mentorship program pairs each student with two mentors – a trailblazer and seasoned executive – while a network of industry leaders and alumni based in New York City link faculty and students to one of the largest real estate industries in the world. The UB Real Estate Club, formed by MSRED students in 2020, offers additional opportunities for site visits, lectures and networking.