Building His Legacy

New Gift Forever Links Walter Embrey Jr. with UTSA

With his $1 million endowment gift in support of graduate real estate at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business, Walter M. Embry Jr. guaranteed that his name would be long remembered on campus and in San Antonio.

In recognition of his gift, the college’s program will be named the Walter M. Embry Jr. Endowed Research Fellowship in Real Estate Finance and Development Program. Embrey’s gift will support graduate student fellowship opportunities, externship stipends and graduate research funding for opportunities such as conferences and industry competitions.

Embrey is a real estate legend throughout Texas and the United States. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Embrey Partners, a fully integrated development, construction and property management operation specializing in multifamily and commercial projects. Since founding the company in 1974, Embrey has partnered in projects that total 40 million square feet throughout 10 states.

“We are proud to have the Embrey name forever tied to the college’s real estate program,” said Tony Ciochetti, the Elmo James Burke, Jr. Chair in Real Estate Finance and Development. “Walter was instrumental in the creation of our program, and his gift will help bring us to the next level in developing premier programming for our graduate students.”

Building on the success of the undergraduate real estate finance and development program, the UTSA College of Business is launching a cohort-based, two-year master’s program in real estate finance and development. Grounded on a strong academic foundation and strong relationships with global leaders in the real estate industry, the program will allow for multidisciplinary and specialized training and will emphasize industry engagement and applied activities.

“Our industry needs talented professionals to keep up with the growth in Texas and the Southwest,” said Embrey. “I hope this gift will help UTSA develop a new breed of professional, strong in finance, adept in development and skillful in practical issues like design, engineering and construction.”

“The Embrey name has been a recognized leader in the real estate community for many decades,” said Gerry Sanders, dean of the UTSA College of Business. “We are so grateful for Walter’s enthusiastic support in helping build a top-tier graduate program in real estate finance and development at UTSA. This is a transformational gift for our program and our students.”

A native of San Antonio, Embrey received his finance degree from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a founding member and former chairman of the UTSA Real Estate Finance and Development Program Founders Council and was a charter member and co-chairman of the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center at the UT Austin McCombs School of Business.

“UTSA has a major impact on San Antonio, and I’m excited to be a part of that momentum,” added Embrey. The UTSA College of Business offers a comprehensive curriculum for 5,400 students at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels that expands the boundaries of a traditional business education. Nationally ranked and recognized, the college is instrumental to UTSA’s pursuit of Tier One status.

The Embrey Real Estate Finance and Development Program, which comes at the close of UTSA’s inaugural capital campaign, is a milestone for the College of Business. It is the university’s second named academic program, the first in business.

If you would like more information about how to start an endowment, please contact the Office of Development at utsa.edu/giving ♦ 210-458-7765.