Last Updated on November 25, 2021
“This partnership is a prime example of both the NFL and Morgan State finding ways to improve access and opportunities for HBCU students,” said Lydell Sargeant, former NFL player and senior associate director for Athletics at Morgan. “Data analytics and data science are critical to our operation at Morgan and vital to the sports industry. We thank the NFL for ensuring Morgan students will be properly prepared of future professional opportunities.”
Since the NFL began its partnership with HBCUs in 2016 with the Strength of HBCUs initiative. To-date, more than 3,000 HBCU students have participated in Football Operations’ various HBCU programming focused on student and administrator development, career exposure, and networking. These initiatives honor the rich history of HBCUs and the NFL while looking towards the future.
“The ongoing NFL-HBCU partnership continues to expand student opportunities through resourcing infrastructure enhancement, academic support, and the student athlete experience,” said Troy Vincent, senior executive vice president of NFL Football Operations. “The Morgan State partnership and the Campus Connection initiative is critical for identifying, developing, and exposing the next generation of sport leaders.”
Through Campus Connection, the NFL will support Morgan students with career development opportunities such as involvement in career fairs, case study programs, and the Executive Leaders Series hosted by NFL personnel. Student support will also include participation in the NFL Experienceship program which provides nominated students hands-on experience and networking opportunities at NFL events. Morgan is only the fifth HBCU that the NFL has partnered with for the Campus Connection program supporting careers in professional football.
Managed through Morgan's Center for the Study of Blockchain and FinTech (The FinTech Center) at the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management, the data analytics initiative will provide students with more exposure to the world of data analytics by introducing them to opportunities to conduct applied, theoretical, and simulation-based research in the business of sports, e-sports, FinTech, and related areas by using an array of tools and techniques. The initiative will also offer education and skills development boot camps in data analytics, data visualization by leading practitioners.
“We are excited that our partnership with the NFL highlights the increasing need to train data analysts,” said Ali Emdad, Ph.D., associate dean for the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management and founding director of the FinTech Center. “Training through Morgan's national FinTech Center will help students learn how to use data and build the skills to deliver practical analysis and leadership based on the next generation of analytical methods. We believe the Initiative lays the foundation for a strong partnership with the NFL and will help develop diverse talent in data analytics.”
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. 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.
Source: Morgan State University New Desk
