Michael Ellison

Illuminating Success Stories on HBCU Campuses | Milken Institute Global Conference 2024

Troy Duffie, Michael Ellison, Darlene Goins, T.D Jakes, Michael Lomax, Gregory Vincent

Leading philanthropic organizations and financial institutions, including UNCF, Wells Fargo, and the T.D. Jakes Foundation, launched a strategic partnership to deploy up to $1 billion in capital for historically Black colleges and universities to address urgent challenges in STEM education and AI-driven workforce displacement. This initiative funds diverse interventions ranging from a $370 million pooled endowment and new technical programs at schools like Talladega College to the Milken Institute HBCU Fellowship, which places fellows in internships with major corporations like Apple and JPMorgan Chase. By prioritizing entrepreneurship instruction, direct institutional funding, and digital infrastructure through the HBCU Virtual platform, the coalition aims to secure economic mobility for non-traditional students and counteract systemic barriers in higher education.