At the start of his career, George Cashman, professor of finance, was not a specialist in real estate. He was just a researcher for a mutual fund until one day a friend of his came into his office.
“[He] asked me if I could do my research on REITs [Real Estate Investment Trust]. I asked if the data exists, he said yes, and we went to work,” Cashman said.
Since then, he has published several research papers and has been recognized in multiple journals, such as the “Financial Review”, and has been recognized internationally as a researcher. Most recently, he was recognized among the top 25 real estate researchers by the American Real Estate Society in their “Journal of Real Estate Literature.” However, Cashman said that while the research was enjoyable, he truly enjoyed teaching and student interaction.
Cashman came to Marquette in 2015, after nine years at Texas Tech University. Cashman said the decision of where to land was largely made by his wife, who told him to take Marquette’s offer after visiting education options in the area. He also said that the decision was one of the best he’s made.
“I love it. I get to be a mentor to a lot of people who are figuring out where they should be and what their life will look like,” Cashman said. “We get to help people figure out what they want, and I really enjoy that.”
Cashman said the ability to answer and study students’questions is what brings him the most excitement in teaching. To this end, Cashman said he tries to make his classes as interactive as possible. In his Introduction to Real Estate class, Cashman said that most sessions are discussion-based, and he tries to show the different schools of thought in real estate.
“For example, today I walked in, and I said ‘OK, who should pay for [car] charging stations?’ You have a major commercial real estate issue there, with who should pay, where they should be placed, with what frequency, and so on,” Cashman said. “We talk about a lot of important topics: eminent domain, the pros and cons of franchises, whatever is relevant.”
One discussion he focuses on in his classes is the book “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City” by Matthew Desmond. The book follows the story of eight Milwaukee families through poverty and housing crises. Cashman said studying how the housing market affects real people is a vital part of living Marquette’s Jesuit values.
Hayden Kleynhans, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, who took Cashman’s REAL 3001 class in the Fall 2023 semester, spoke of his experiences in the class. Kleynhans said the discussion of “Evicted” helped bring a degree of reality to his studies.
“It is definitely a heavy topic, but I would say it’s a good discussion to be had,” Kleynhans said.
Kleynhans said that Cashman’s discussion-based approach allowed him, as a student, to get more understanding out of the course as he put more effort in. Kleynhans said that Cashman is able to connect with students and make the class student-centered.
“I go to his office all the time now, and he’s very involved with his students,” Kleynhans said. “He has a way of teaching his classes and leading the discussions that help keep the students’ attention.”
Cashman said he feels excited for the future of the department. He recently transitioned to a full professorial role at Marquette, and said he is excited to continue his growth with Marquette University’s staff, students, and alumni.
Cashman said that the Real Estate department is in a constant state of reevaluation and evolution as markets, rates, and knowledge shifts. Over his time at Marquette, he said that the department has grown, and that he is proud to be a member of it.
“We always are asking ‘What are the next steps? What do people need?” Cashman said. “We just did a strategic retreat this summer with our board and always want to find where the opportunities are and how we can improve.”
This story was written by Allan Fox. He can be reached at [email protected].