A program designed to attract Manor College students to enter the rewarding field of asset management and demystify the field of finance.

JENKINTOWN, PA – Manor College and The Swarthmore Group, the oldest active, minority-owned Registered Investment Advisor headquartered in Pennsylvania, are teaming up on an initiative to increase careers in asset management for minority and first-generation college students. 

Beginning in January 2022, The Swarthmore Group will provide paid internships to expose Manor College students to the four key functional areas of an institutional asset management firm: Operations and Compliance, Equity Portfolio Management, Fixed Income Portfolio Management, and Marketing and Client Services. The goal of the program is to attract Manor College students to enter the dynamic and rewarding field of asset management, demystify the finance industry, and highlight the different areas of expertise required in asset management firms. After the completion of a one-semester program, students will then have the opportunity to rotate through each competency to receive a more in-depth experience.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been at the heart of The Swarthmore Group since its founding in 1991. The firm has built its team with a mind to diversity of thought, background, and beliefs. The Swarthmore Group believes diversity increases engagement and productivity, speeds innovation, leads to better investment and operational decisions, and contributes to more connected communities. The firm’s commitment to DEI extends into the community in which it was founded and remains headquartered. Additional current firm initiatives include:

•       All firm personnel complete mandatory DEI training and workshops
•       Volunteering and providing financial support to Impact 100, an all-women-funded grant-making non-profit focused on arts, health, education, and family 
•       Volunteering and providing financial support to the Main Line Chamber Foundation’s DEI programming including the Society of Professional Women, Talent and Education Network, and DEI Roundtable with the Urban Affairs Coalition
•       Fundraising for the Black College Football Hall of Fame to honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities
•       Partnering with the OneTen coalition to create one million family-sustaining careers for Black talent in America
•       Serving on the Board of the Philadelphia Prison Society, a 200+ year-old advocacy group for the currently and formerly incarcerated, who are disproportionately people of color
•       Mentoring minority affinity groups at colleges and universities
•       Volunteering and providing financial support to Episcopal Community Services for over 20 years

Jim Nevels, Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Swarthmore Group said, “We are excited to partner with Manor College in providing students with an opportunity to experience the dynamic environment of the finance industry in the entrepreneurial culture of The Swarthmore Group. Manor and its students are close to my heart since I was the first-generation in my family to attend college. Without the opportunities provided by my educational experiences, this firm would not exist. Giving back is an integral part of our culture.”

The student body of Manor College is 65% first-generation college students, and 75% from Philadelphia, the poorest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area in the country. Approximately 80% of the student body works full-time as they obtain their degrees. 

“We’re elated that The Swarthmore Group is offering this life-changing internship to Manor College’s students,” said Jonathan Peri, President of Manor College.  “It is an opportunity to step through a threshold into a world that offers exponential economic mobility.  This is with Jim Nevels and a team at TSG who value righteousness and social justice – The collaboration is a perfect fit for Manor’s mission and values as an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree granting institution just outside of Philadelphia.” 

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