About Us
ULodging is a dynamic online marketplace designed to connect universities, academic institutions, and non-profits involved in international education, student exchange programs, internships, and related activities. Our platform enables seamless communication among organizations, allowing them to post and search for housing or classroom space with ease.
All accommodations hosted are owned or managed by educational institutions or accredited student housing providers, ensuring quality and reliability. ULodging offers a streamlined experience where users can search, communicate, reserve, and finalize leases—without any cost to post or browse properties.
Driven by our founders’ vision, ULodging fosters collaboration among universities, student housing providers, experiential education facilitators, and student-focused organizations. By creating an open and transparent space for engagement, we help minimize risks, reduce costs, and enhance the overall academic experience. With ULodging, housing is no longer a barrier to studying abroad—it’s a gateway to global learning.
The Founders
Crispin Etherington
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Crispin Etherington brings over thirty-five years of expertise in commercial, residential, and educational real estate development across the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Holding a B.Sc. in Real Estate Management from Liverpool John Moores University, England, he is also a distinguished Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Before co-founding ULodging Inc. in 2020 alongside Eugene Alpert, Ph.D., Etherington spent eleven years providing student housing for those undertaking internships and global studies programs in the United States. Recognizing that housing was often the unpredictable variable in such programs, he and Dr. Alpert envisioned ULodging as a solution—creating a platform that seamlessly connects universities, students, and housing providers to remove barriers to studying abroad.
Beyond his work in real estate and student housing, Etherington has made significant contributions to education through various leadership roles. He has served as a Board Member for the Edward St. John Real Estate Program at Johns Hopkins University, Vice Chairman of Phillips Programs, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children with emotional and behavioral challenges, and Board Member with the ACE Mentoring Program, which inspires and guides high school students toward careers in design and construction.
Furthering his commitment to education, he is the Chairman of the Annapolis Trust, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to “first in family” students pursuing higher education. Additionally, Etherington shares his knowledge and experience as an educator within the Anne Arundel Public School System in Maryland.
Eugene J. Alpert Ph.D.
Co-founder
The late Dr. Eugene Alpert was a visionary leader and dedicated advocate for student experiential learning. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and was on the faculty at Texas Christian University for 17 years and directed its Washington Internship Program and graduate programs.
As Senior Vice President for The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars for 20 years, Dr. Alpert oversaw The Washington Center’s academic programming, working with faculty, campus directors, and partners to expand its high-impact offerings. Over 2,500 students and faculty participated in the signature national party convention program he developed during his tenure. He was an early-adopter of online learning methods student access that included the provision of distance learning opportunities.
In recent years, he brought together internship program directors from 145 institutions and other higher education-focused groups to develop best practices for student experiential learning in the nation’s capital. One of his most important legacies was developing the talents of younger professionals and preparing them for the next generation of leadership.
His last initiative involved the development of an experiential learning center under one roof for HBCU students. Regrettably Dr. Alpert did not live to see the fruits of his vision in the establishment of such a center in Washington D.C. in October 2021.
(Dr Alpert passed away in October 2020 after a short illness).