Kenneth M. Lusht, professor emeritus of business administration and Zimmerman Homes university endowed fellow in business administration at Smeal College of Business Administration, retired in December after serving on the Smeal faculty for more than 33 years.

Lusht joined Smeal in 1973 as the only faculty member in real estate. Throughout the next four decades he was instrumental in developing the real estate program at Smeal, including a refocusing of the undergraduate curriculum and the creation of the college's former real estate option in the master of business administration program and master's degree program in real estate.

His research and teaching interests centered primarily on real estate investment, finance and valuation, with a focus on pricing mechanisms -- especially auctions -- in property markets. Lusht's work, including several quality of life and economic impact studies, was published widely in academic and professional journals.

He held several leadership positions at Smeal, including serving as the college's associate dean for research, director of doctoral and master of science programs, chair of the Department of Insurance and Real Estate, and director of the Institute for Real Estate Studies. From Jan. 1 to July 1, 2006, he served as interim dean of the college, before the appointment of James Thomas, the college's current dean.

Lusht received three Excellence in Teaching Awards from the M.B.A. Student Association and has been Smeal's nominee for two teaching awards at the University level.

Throughout his career, he served as a visiting scholar at universities in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and Turkey.

Lusht holds a doctoral degree from Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree from Emory University.