Last week, Phill Gross, Co-Founder of Adage Capital Management, visited Howard University’s School of Business as a guest lecturer for students participating in Project ACCLAIM (Accelerating Learning in Asset Investment Management). The visit offered a rare, practitioner-driven learning experience and deepened exposure to real-time investment analysis, decision-making, and strategy.

His visit to Howard follows an earlier engagement with Project ACCLAIM students at Morehouse College during Spring 2025, as part of a broader commitment to strengthening applied learning and exposure across participating HBCUs.

Lecture, Dialogue, and Applied Learning

During the session, Mr. Gross shared insights on:

• Achieving superior returns
• Tactical asset allocation
• Market timing
• Industry and issue selection

Students asked questions throughout the lecture and continued the conversation over lunch, gaining perspective from an industry leader who has navigated decades of market cycles, strategy shifts, and institutional portfolio decisions.

Campus Experience and Learning Infrastructure

The visit concluded with a tour across several key instructional and experiential learning spaces, including:

• HPS Center for Financial Excellence
• Bloomberg Lab
• Founders Library
• The Yard

These environments underscore Howard’s commitment to integrating academic theory, applied tools, real-world exposure, and cultural grounding — a key combination in preparing future investment professionals.

Acknowledgements

We extend sincere appreciation to those whose leadership, participation, and partnership supported this visit:

• Dr. Anthony D. Wilbon, Dean, Howard University School of Business
• Dr. B. Paul Choi, Professor and Director, Center for Insurance Education
• Dr. Curtis Kidd Telemaque, Director, HPS Center for Financial Excellence
• Dr. Shawn Thomas, Director of Investment Leadership Programs, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building
• Ed Smith-Lewis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Programs, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building
• Justin Bullion, Consultant, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building

About Project ACCLAIM

Project ACCLAIM, led by Dr. Shawn Thomas, is a UNCF initiative designed to cultivate a strong, diverse pipeline of learners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities into the institutional investment and financial services sector. Integrating curriculum, experiential learning, mentorship, and industry exposure, the program builds durable pathways toward advanced study and long-term leadership roles.

Thank you again to Howard University for hosting this meaningful experience and for your continued partnership.