Steven Ott appointed Dean of Belk College

UNC Charlotte Provost Joan Lorden announced today that Steven Ott, the John Crosland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Development, has been appointed dean of the Belk College of Business, effective immediately.

“Steve has demonstrated his leadership abilities and skills in relationship-building as director of the Center for Real Estate and a dedicated senior faculty member in the Belk College,” Lorden said. “Chancellor Dubois and I are confident that he will do an outstanding job in leading the college and strengthening ties with the Charlotte business community.”

Ott replaces Joseph Mazzola, who stepped down recently to return to the faculty to concentrate on teaching and research.

Ott joined the UNC Charlotte faculty in 1999 to develop a curriculum in real estate in the Belk College. He crafted an academic concentration in real estate finance and development in the M.B.A. program and was instrumental in the establishment of the Center for Real Estate in 2005. Ott collaborated with a high-profile group of industry leaders in 2007 to raise $4.4 million to support the expansion of the center’s research and academic programs and spearheaded the addition of a proposed Master of Science in Real Estate at UNC Charlotte, which is pending approval from UNC General Administration. Ott previously served as interim dean of the Belk College for the 2007-08 academic year.

“This is an exciting time for the Belk College,” Ott said. “The opening of UNC Charlotte’s Center City Building this fall provides us with new ways to enhance our students’ learning experiences and connect more deeply with the Charlotte business community. I am grateful that the provost and chancellor have given me the opportunity to lead the Belk College.”

Ott earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on topics such as real estate valuation, real estate public policy issues and real estate development finance and investment. He has consulted with multiple investment banking, real estate advisory and real estate development firms.

Ott has been recognized as an academic fellow by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and leads a number of ULI’s professional development programs. Additionally, he has served as a distinguished research fellow with NAIOP, the national commercial real estate development association.

Mazzola, who holds the appointment as the Belk Distinguished Professor of Business, joined UNC Charlotte in 2008. During his tenure as dean, he launched a new undergraduate certificate program in entrepreneurship, revitalized the Business Honors Program, initiated the Belk College 21st Century Fund to support faculty development and created “Next,” a new speaker series designed to stimulate innovative thinking.

“We are all very grateful for Dean Mazzola’s contributions to the campus,” Lorden said, “and I am delighted that we will continue to benefit from his outstanding scholarship, his skill in the classroom and the products of his research.”

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve the college through mentoring of junior faculty, teaching graduate students and contributing to innovative program development,” said Mazzola.