Morgan State Students to Manage Millions as UNCF Expands National Asset Investment Program to University

Participation in Project ACCLAIM Brings Real-World Capital, Mentorship and Industry Access to Graves School of Business, Positioning Morgan as a Pipeline for Investment Leadership

Baltimore — Morgan State University’s growing influence as a leader in practice-based business education is expanding into one of the nation’s most competitive financial sectors. UNCF has announced its selection of the University for Project ACCLAIM (Accelerating Learning in Asset Investment Management), a national initiative designed to prepare Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students for leadership in asset and investment management.

Backed by a $10 million investment from Adage Capital Management and philanthropists Elizabeth and Phill Gross, Morgan students from the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management (Graves School) have the opportunity to manage $4 million in investment capital while gaining real-world experience. The Graves School will leverage the immersive learning initiative to cultivate the next generation of investment leaders, support institutional priorities and create long-term program sustainability.

Morgan’s selection into the program builds upon the Graves School’s existing Student-Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), launched in 2024. The SMIF provides accounting and finance majors the opportunity to manage real investment capital while developing professional-level portfolio management and securities research skills.

“Participation in Project ACCLAIM represents a transformative opportunity for our students at the Graves School,” said Royce D. Burnett, Ph.D., dean of the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. “Through the Student-Managed Investment Fund, our students will gain hands-on experience in asset management, portfolio analysis, and decision-making at a level rarely accessible at the undergraduate or graduate level. This initiative directly aligns with our mission to deliver rigorous, practice-based education while positioning our students for competitive careers in investment management and related financial services fields.”

Under Project ACCLAIM, Morgan students will participate in a yearlong, credit-bearing investment course that mirrors the professional demands of the asset management industry. Students will take on authentic roles in market and economic analysis, security research, portfolio construction, risk modeling, compliance, performance attribution, reporting, and trade management. In addition, participants will gain access to internships, mentors, and an investment advisory board, offering direct exposure to industry expertise and experiential training beyond the classroom.

“Project ACCLAIM creates an extraordinary learning environment where theory meets real responsibility,” said George Micheni, director of the Graves School’s Capital Markets Lab and advisor to the Morgan State University Investment Club. “Our students will be immersed in a rigorous experience that mirrors the realities of asset and investment management.” 

The program was launched in fall 2025 with Morehouse College and Howard University through an initial impactful $10 million gift. Morgan and Florida A&M University are the latest to be accepted into the program. Grounded in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of economic mobility as a cornerstone of civil rights, Project ACCLAIM equips HBCU students with the financial acumen and real-world preparation needed to thrive in investment careers.

“UNCF is now able to expand Project ACCLAIM to engage students who are pursuing careers in business, finance and asset management attending Morgan State University and Florida A&M University,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. “We are more committed than ever to grow the talent in the financial services industry and help close the wealth gap in our nation through this transformative initiative.”

For students like Morgan sophomore Simone Brown, a finance major interning at T. Rowe Price, the program represents a new level of sustained industry access.

“This will be transformative for Morgan students like me by providing sustained access to genuine industry asset management experience, mentorship, and capital deployment,” said Brown. “The program will equip us to confidently pursue careers in financial services and fully realize our potential as future leaders in the field.”

The selection by UNCF is a continuation of the national distinctions the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management has accumulated of late. Bloomberg Businessweek recently ranked the Graves School MBA program No. 54 overall in its 2025–26 Best B-School Rankings, up from No. 60 the previous year.

The Graves School is Maryland’s first AACSB-accredited business school at a public institution and remains among the top five business schools in the state, positioned within the top 15% nationwide. Housed in the $79 million Morgan Business Center, the Graves School offers 10 undergraduate programs, six master’s programs, and multiple doctoral focus areas, continuing its legacy as one of Maryland’s top producers of African American business graduates.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 academic programs leading to baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees, or certificates. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:
Larry Jones or Cheryl Stewart for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022