RPM Program Highlights
A Brief History
The idea for the RPM program evolved slowly after a chance meeting between Virginia Tech housing faculty member, Rosemary Carucci Goss, and James F. Kelly, former Director of Housing Management for the Virginia Housing Management Authority (VHDA). Kelly expressed a crucial need within the industry for professional managers and offered to help organize an advisory board. The board of industry professionals was formed in 1984, and the curriculum was approved in 1985. Virginia Tech’s Residential Property Management program has raised the profile of the profession by offering the nation’s first university-based degree and has served as a model for several colleges and universities that have developed similar programs.
RPM Program Highlights:
- All RPM students complete at least one internship with a multifamily housing company. Students gain real-world experience, make valuable career contacts, and explore different career areas in locations across the country. Compensation and housing are typical.
- Seniors in the RPM program prepare for and take the National Apartment Association's Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) exam. Obtaining one's CAM designation places graduates a year or more ahead of other entry-level property management professionals.
- Numerous scholarships, ranging from $500 to $7,5000 are awarded to RPM students on the basis of need, academic achievement, and professional potential.
- Through contacts with the RPM Advisory Board, the RPM Career Fair, and the Student Association of Residential Property Managers, students have opportunities to meet industry leaders from across the country. And just as important, employers get to know the students.
- Each year, students are selected to attend the National Apartment Association’s Education Conference and Exposition. Students are chosen based upon academic achievement, professional potential, and an essay submission. NAA’s conference attendance and networking supplement classroom learning and internship experiences.
- Virginia Tech's RPM program continues to receive national recognition in articles featured in industry publications, such as UNITS, Multi-housing News, and the Journal of Property Management.
