LOS ANGELES - Stan Ross, chair of the University of Southern California (USC) Lusk Center for Real Estate, has been appointed the first distinguished fellow in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD).
"Stan is being recognized for his substantial national and international reputation in an area central to the mission of SPPD. His leadership role and accomplishments perfectly fit the school's vision," said Jack H. Knott, SPPD Dean. "Stan's contribution to the real estate industry is legendary and his impact on the university has been exemplary." Dean Knott also praised Ross' development of the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at USC, his dedication to strengthening the reputation of the Lusk Center and his commitment to educating students.
This is the second honor for Ross in recent weeks. Last month, the American Jewish University (AJU) honored his decades of leadership in the real estate industry and generous support of the Jewish community. "Stan Ross has made a place for AJU in his personal and professional life. His loyalty and generosity are true indicators of his human kindness, his belief in education and his love of Judaism," said Dr. Robert Wexler, AJU President, who also announced the Marilyn and Stan Ross Fund for Special Needs Education at AJU to promote awareness of special needs education and to establish a scholarship for students in this field.
In addition to his current post as chairman of the board and senior fellow of the Lusk Center, Ross is the retired vice chair of Real Estate Industry Services for Ernst & Young and a former member of E&Y's worldwide management committee. He also was managing partner of the country's largest real estate accounting firm, Kenneth Leventhal & Company.
With his wife, Marilyn, Stan endowed the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at USC to further the development of urban neighborhoods nationwide, and the couple endowed the Urban Land Institute's annual Ross Trends Conference. He is a trustee of Baruch College in New York from which he received a bachelor's degree and an honorary doctor of laws degree. The school's department of accounting is named for him. In 2006, he co-authored An Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate, one of the highest-selling books published by the Urban Land Institute.