Office of Admission Hosts Open House During Homecoming 2009

President O'Leary speaks with parents during November's Open House Session.

Fisk President Hazel R. O’Leary met today with parents of prospective Fiskites in Cravath Hall. The session provided parents opportunities to hear from recent graduates pursuing advanced degrees as well as a meaningful Q and A session.  In addition to the president’s session, parents and students attend admission and financial aid workshops and are invited to attend this week’s Fisk Homecoming Activities.

 

In a few years, Devon Smith (left) and Adrian Walker (right) say they would like to be Fiskites.

Open House at Fisk is held five times yearly. For more information, contact Keith Chandler,  dean of admission, at kchandler@fisk.edu

Students and Faculty Share Global Experiences During “Passport to World Connections”

The eighth installment of Fisk’s “Passport to World Connections”
 will feature Fisk senior Ashley Turner. Tuner will share her reflections on her experiences and travel in Vietnam. The lecture will be held in room 206 of Park-Johnson Hall at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 19th.

The Passport to World Connections Lecture Series allows members of the faculty and student body to share their experiences in service learning, teaching and studying abroad. For more information about upcoming presentations, email Fisk Professor Nancy Rasico at nrasico@fisk.edu.

Homecoming 2009 Schedule

Cirque Du Jubilee
Homecoming 2009 
Saturday, November 14, 2009
–Kick-off Carnival 3:00 p.m. (On The Yard)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
–Sunday Chapel Service 9:30 a.m.(Fisk Memorial Chapel)
–Gospel Explosion 6:00 p.m. (Fisk Memorial Chapel)
Monday, November 16, 2009
–Laser Tag 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (On The Yard) Tickets: $5.00 
 –Talent Show 7:30 p.m. (Appleton Room)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
–Class Step Show 6:00 p.m. (Henderson A. Johnson Gymnasium)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
–Fashion Show/After Party 7:00 p.m. (Henderson A. Johnson Gymnasium)
Tickets: $15.00

Homecoming 2009 Fashion Show on November 18

Methods of "Modern Chic" will be held on November 18.

Be sure to attend Fisk University’s 2009 Homecoming Fashion Show, Methods of Modern Chic, on November 18, 2009 at Henderson A. Johnson Gymnasium from 8 p.m.- 10 p.m.

Homecoming weekend at Fisk is November 19-22. Stay tuned to the Fisk University Blog for a list of all 2009 activities.

Fisk University Awarded $3 Million Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grant

Fisk has been awarded a $3 million grant from the department of education to assist graduate students in studying natural sciences.

Fisk University has been selected to receive the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Master’s Degree Grant (Title VII) Award for $3 million from the United States Department of Education to assist Fisk graduate students in obtaining advanced degrees in the natural and physical sciences in disciplines in which African-Americans are underrepresented.

Grant funds will be dispersed over the next six years. $1.5 million will be used to provide full financial assistance for six Fisk graduate students to study biology, chemistry and physics. $500,000 will be used to initiate research projects of six current graduate students, purchase new laboratory instrumentation, and make minor renovations to labs and classrooms. 

The remaining million will be used for academic support for graduate students and graduate faculty involved in research. Support initiatives include recruiting visiting professors with established research records and establishing the position of Title VII project coordinator to assist mentoring graduate students.

In the past five years, the Fisk/Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program has produced 22 minority graduates from underrepresented populations, 60 percent of whom are women, and has become the nation’s top producer of African-Americans earning master’s degrees in physics.

“We are excited to receive this most recent award that will help us to expand knowledge in ways that encourage teamwork and opportunities for our graduate students,” said Dr. Arnold Burger, professor of physics at Fisk University. Dr. Burger will also serve as the new grant project’s director.

To be eligible for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Master’s Degree Grant Award, institutions must substantially contribute to graduate education opportunities at the master’s level for underprivileged and underrepresented populations in the areas of natural sciences and information technology.

Fisk is one of 18 HBCUs to receive the award. In August, the Fisk/Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program was awarded $3.7 million which included two federal grants from the National Science Foundation and one federal grant from the Department of Education.

FISK Featured on CBS News Program

Drs. Burger and Babalola will be featured on WTVF's "Urban Outlook" Program on Nashville Cable's Channel 5 +.

Be sure to catch WTVF’s Urban Outlook broadcast of an interview with Fisk Physics Professor Dr. Arnold Burger and the first doctoral graduate of the Fisk/Vanderbilt Master’s to Ph.D. Bridge Program, Dr. Steven Babalola. 

The interview will focus on the pathway to success that Fisk is creating for scientists from underrepresented groups and how funds from Fisk’s recent $3 million Department of Education grant award will assist Fisk graduate students in the natural and physical sciences. 

Catch the broadcast in Middle Tennessee on Comcast Cable Channel 250, Charter Cable 50 and on Channel 5.2 on digital sets.   
Broadcast Dates

November 12 -> 9:30am (Tomorrow)

November 14 -> 12:30pm

November 15 -> 10:30pm       

November 26 -> 4:30am

November 28 -> 8:30pm

November 29 -> 2:30am

Activist, Author and Educator Kevin Powell Speaks on Ethical Leadership and Community Engagement During Lecture at Fisk University

Author and activist Kevin Powell spoke to Fisk students about becoming effective leaders.

Fisk University hosted a lecture by author, activist and educator Kevin Powell on Thursday, October 29 at 3 p.m. in the Appleton Room of Jubilee Hall as part of the University’s Global and Community Lecture Series. Powell’s lecture, “How to Become an Effective Leader,” emphasized ways for college students to pursue ethical leadership.

As an author, Powell has published ten books ranging from essays and poetry to self-help. Powell’s latest, “Open Letters to America” is a collection of essays that celebrates the recent political engagement of many American youth during the candidacy of President Barack Obama. Powell was also a leading contributor to the 2006 New York Times Best Seller biography, “ class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”"Tupac Shakur.”  Powell has additionally written essays and commentaries regarding pop culture and current events for publications including Esquire, Newsweek, Vibe, The Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone, The Amsterdam News and the Huffington Post.

As an activist, Powell has lectured in 48 states and at the United Nations on such topics as American and African-American History, hip hop culture, civic engagement, and global human rights. He has twice run for United States Congress in New York’s 10^th Congressional District and is also remembered for his role in the inaugural cast of MTV’s “The Real World” and the subsequent documentary he wrote and produced for the network on post-riot Los Angeles, California.

Inaugurated by Fisk in 2006, the Global and Community Lecture Series is made possible through a partnership with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. Cracker Barrel Chairman, President and CEO Michael A. Woodhouse serves on the Fisk University Board of Trustees. The lecture series provides the University and Nashville community access to and dialogue with leaders at the forefront of global and community engagement. Noted guests have included The Honorable Mickey Kantor, former United States Secretary of Commerce and United States Trade Representative, noted activist, scholar, distinguished professor and alumnus Dr. Preston King, and award-winning poet, author, essayist and alumna Nikki Giovanni.

Fisk Trustee Eddie George and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean Plan Redesign of Jefferson Street

Fisk University Trustee Eddie George and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean have unveiled a new master plan to enhance Nashville’s historic Jefferson Street. The plan includes a gathering place under the I-40 overpass to be named “Heritage Park” in addition to new directional signage and landscaping.

Read more about the plan here.

NAACP and Chairman Julian Bond Celebrate 100 Years of Service with Fisk University

As the NAACP celebrates 100 years of service in the global community, national organizers and the organization’s chairman Julian Bond visited Fisk University as part of a national tour to raise funds, membership and support. In 1909, acclaimed scholar, activist, educator and Fiskite W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the

Fisk president Hazel R. O’Leary welcomed the guests and presented a framed portrait of the class of 1929 in which Bond’s mother, Julia Washington Bond, was a member. In his remarks, Chairman Bond shared that Nashville is his city of birth and that his grandparents were also Fiskites.

Among the guests in attendance were Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, acclaimed artist Sam Gilliam, attorney and Fisk Trustee D. Billye Sanders in addition to CBRL Group CEO and Fisk Trustee Michael A. Woodhouse.

Read more about the NAACP celebration at Fisk here.

Fisk’s Spence Maners Selected as Finalist in Nashville Business Journal’s “CFO Awards 2009″

Fisk's Spence Maners was selected as a finalist in the "Best CFO" award category by the 2009 Nashville Business Journal.

Congratulations to Fisk University Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Spence Maners as he has received the nomination as a finalist in the Nashville Business Journal’s ‘Best CFO’ of Nashville award category.

Since joining the University family in 2006, Maners has assisted Fisk in strengthening fiscal integrity and accountability.  As a result, Fisk has attracted more grants from private foundations was able to show a profit in fiscal year 2008.

Click here to read more.