Roger H. Allen ’58
About Roger Allen
Retired tenured professor emeritus, founder and president of Allen Investment Corporation, investment/commercial real estate developer, and author of “Real Estate Investment and Taxation.”
College of Business and Economics
Roger Allen received his associate’s degree from then-Boise Junior College in 1958 before earning his bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Nevada and his master’s in Finance from Northwestern University. He soon returned to Boise, where he began his career as an appraiser, mortgage loan originator and loan marketing vice president for the Mortgage-Insurance Corporation, and Boise State recruited him to develop and teach new courses for the then-School of Business.
Allen stayed with the university for 16 years, overseeing 12 courses in investments, finance, real estate finance, corporate finance, real estate development, and statistics. During that time he also served on the Faculty Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate, and published several books on real estate, including “Real Estate Investment and Taxation,” which has international sales and is used by American universities, Harvard University. A tenured professor, he resigned in 1983 to pursue his own business ventures, but in 2018, Boise State awarded him the title of Professor Emeritus in Finance and dedicated the Skaggs Hall of Learning in the new College of Business and Economics building to him.
Allen uses his knowledge and experience to promote the operations of AIC/Avest LP; and as a private businessman, he has developed two major shopping centers, numerous storage sites, industrial buildings, and multi-family residential subdivisions.
Throughout his career, Allen has had a strong relationship with all things numerical and financial, especially when combined with computer analysis and land. The rewards can be seen in his solid real estate holdings in the Boise Valley. The overriding focus of Roger’s career has been his desire and ability to treat all people with respect and honesty. “Sharing” is a passion reflected in his professional and personal life.
Video Roger H. Allen
The following video includes comments by Dr. Pat Shannon, Dr. Mark Bannister, and Roger Allen. Video contains closed captions and a transcript is available on this page.
Video Transcript
[Dr. Pat Shannon, Former Dean, College of Business and Economics, Professor Emeritus, Boise State University] First time I met Roger was in 1974. I’ve known him for 49 years now, and we’ve cross paths in many ways over these years. And he’s just such a solid, wonderful gentleman. the students that had a chance to work with him and then people within the industry that he’s touched have been impacted so much by what he’s done over the years.
[Dr. Mark Bannister, Dean, College of Business and Economics] Roger’s a visionary and doer. He is someone who started at Boise Community College and would come back and help build a university.
[Roger Allen, ’58, distinguished alumni] At the time I went to school was in 1957. And, uh, it wasn’t the university who was BJC at the time. You come out of high school and you don’t know quite what to expect in college, but, it was very helpful. just in developing as I like to put it, a desire for more education.
[Dr. Bannister] Roger has been part of the College of Business and Economics as a student, a faculty member and a mentor. He is someone who developed 11 classes in the college. He was beloved in the classroom as a teacher. And he is even someone who has devoted his own resources as a gift to help build the Micron Business and Economics Building.
[Roger Allen] Bob Rose, Dean of the business School at that time, asked me to, um, teach night classes. And after about three years they said, Hey, why don’t you come on full time? And I did. And that was in 1966. So started then and taught for 18 years.
[Dr. Shannon] I’d just joined the faculty in Boise State in the College of Business and Economics, and Roger was a professor in the department there. and he was a really influential person in the department that I was in he was fantastic, always very pleasant, very open to people. And a mentor for me when I first came I can say probably fairly certainly that the impact he had on those students has been profound, that they have gone on to do great things as a result of what he was able to teach them in the classroom.
[Roger Allen] When I started there, you know, we didn’t have, like, corporate finance and stocks and bonds and investments and those kind of things. And so I prepared those, got them approved by the State Education Board. I had so many students come up to me and say that, you know, I really enjoy your classes because you’re not just teaching theory or something that somebody said in a book, you’re actually doing what you’re teaching.
[Dr. Shannon] We’re looking for people who have had an impact on the university. his impact on students as a faculty member here is has been incredible. We also are looking for individuals who have had a career that is exemplary and his career in the real estate industry. And the impact in this region and virtually throughout Idaho has been extensive. when we were doing the fundraising for the new College of Business Economics building, he and his family stepped forward with a very significant gift. And there’s a classroom named in his honor that we’re very proud of. And his legacy, as far as past association with the university goes on through that.
[Roger Allen] It’s special to me, um, to be part of Boise State and tend to continue to be part of Boise State. Being a Boise born and raised here, certainly couldn’t be more honored. And I’m very proud of the institution,
[Dr. Bannister] Congratulations, Roger. You have given so much of yourself to this college and this university. It is a pleasure to recognize you for your achievements
[Dr. Shannon] I just want to say, Roger that., uh, congratulations. There’s no one I can think of that’s more deserving of this award. I’m just very honored to be able to speak on your behalf and just so happy for this night.