New Agreement With Nigeria’s TETFund to Bring Up to 50 International Students Seeking Ph.D.s to Morgan State University Annually

By AIT News Desk On May 20, 2020

MSU’s Board of Regents Approves Five-Year Agreement, Bolstering University’s Potential Ph.D. Output and Leadership Among HBCUs in Producing Graduates With Doctoral Degrees

Morgan State University (MSU) President David K. Wilson has announced a new educational collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), a fiduciary and funding agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The five-year agreement with TETFund will create a pathway for international students to study in the U.S. and pursue a Morgan degree, by sponsoring cohorts of eligible and admitted graduate students from public tertiary institutions in Nigeria who will be enrolled in Morgan Ph.D. programs, in addition to cohorts of postdoctoral researchers from public tertiary institutions in Nigeria who will conduct research at Morgan. The agreement could bring up to 50 (no less than 30) new Ph.D. students and up to 20 postdoctoral researchers to campus each year.

The Morgan State University Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the TETFund during the board’s spring quarterly meeting, held on May 5. The university is preparing to welcome the first cohort of students during the fall 2020 semester.

“This is an historic collaboration for Morgan State University, possibly the largest such agreement of its kind between an African nation and an American institution of higher education,” said Dr. Wilson. “Through our arrangement with the TETFund, not only will Morgan greatly enhance its standing as a high research university, but the resulting research could be globally beneficial. Morgan provides a world-class education, and we are appreciative of being given this opportunity to work in partnership with Nigeria to produce intellectual capital capable of advancing the nation toward its goals. This partnership also helps fulfill Morgan’s global aspirations while strengthening our relationships on the African continent.”

Through the partnership, a framework is being created in which early, mid-level and senior career faculty and staff members from Nigeria’s 238 public universities, colleges of education and polytechnics can pursue their Ph.Ds. and postdoctoral research at Morgan in fields and disciplines relevant to the developmental needs of Nigeria.