Fisk Retains Ranking as Fifth Best HBCU on U.S. News and World Report’s “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” List

Fisk has retained its ranking of fifth best HBCU according to U.S. News and World Report.

Fisk University retains its ranking as the fifth best HBCU among the eighty-one schools listed in the 2009 edition of the “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” listings by U.S.News & World Report, the nation’s leading source of service journalism and news. The exclusive rankings are available online at:

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/hbcu-search

To determine the rankings among HBCUs, U.S. News gathers data from and about each school in different areas related to academic excellence. Each indicator is assigned a weight (expressed as a percentage) based on the magazine’s judgments about which measures of quality matter most.

The following indicators were used to determine Fisk’s rank:

Peer Assessment (25 percent)
Retention (25 percent)
Faculty Resources (20 percent)  
Student Selectivity (15 percent)
Financial Resources (10 percent)
Alumni Giving Rate (5 percent)

Final scores for each ranked school were rounded to the nearest whole number and ranked in descending order. Schools that receive the same rank are tied and are listed in alphabetical order. 
 
“For nearly a quarter century, consulting the U.S.News & World Report rankings has been a vital first step for prospective college students and their parents in the complex process of determining which institution best fits their goals,” said U.S.News & World Report’s editor, Brian Kelly. “Designed as a one-stop resource, the rankings supply hard data and analysis to help college applicants make apples-to-apples comparisons of schools across the country.  Through these rankings, and the ‘America’s Best Colleges’ guidebook, our goal is to help equip students and their families to make a knowledgeable decision based on clear, comparative research.”
Fisk University is a coeducational university in Nashville, Tennessee that is grounded in liberal arts.  A recent National Science Foundation study revealed that Fisk alumni earned more doctorate degrees in the natural sciences than African-American graduates from any other college or university in the nation.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Fisk is ranked 1^st of moderately selective colleges when it comes to graduating low-income students.

Dr. M. Christopher Brown II Selected as Fisk Executive Vice President and Provost

Beginning in July, Dr. M. Christopher Brown II will serve as executive vice president and provost at Fisk University.

After a national search, Fisk University has selected Dr. M. Christopher Brown II as its Executive Vice President and Provost.

Brown, who will join Fisk on July, is wrapping up his duties at University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he is Dean and Professor at the College of Education and leads a faculty of 101 full-time professors and manages a total budget of $22.7 million.  He is the author and editor of thirteen books and monographs and his research interests include educational equity, historically black colleges, P-16 collaborations, professorial responsibilities, and social reconstruction theory.

He previously served as Vice President for Programs and Administration at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Director of Social Justice and Professional Development for the American Educational Research Association (AERA), as well as Executive Director and Chief Research Scientist of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of the United Negro College Fund. Dr. Brown has held faculty appointments at the Pennsylvania State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

 

Fisk Junior Nneka Henry-Richards Earns NASA’s MUST Scholarship Award

Nneka Henry-Richards has been awarded NASA's MUST scholarship.

Congratulations to Fisk junior and physics major Nneka Henry-Richards, as she has been selected to receive NASA’s Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology (MUST) scholarship. MUST scholarships and internships are awarded to students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Nneka is one of 100 students to receive the award nationally. Currently, Nneka is enrolled in the Fisk-Vanderbilt 3-2 Engineering Program. After completing her requirements at Fisk she will enter Vanderbilt University for graduate studies in civil engineering.  Stay tuned to the Fisk Blog for more information on Nneka and Fisk’s NASA scholars.

The Right Honorable Lord John Taylor Visits Fisk

On June 20, Fisk Welcomed The Right Honorable Lord John Taylor.

On June 20, Fisk University welcomed The Right Honorable Lord John Taylor, the first African Caribbean in Britain’s House of Lords and current vice chairman of the British Film Commission covering family values, crime and international affairs.

In 1995, Taylor made history as he became the first person of color elected to the 1,205 member House of Lords. Taylor gave an address at the G-7 summit in Geneva, and in recent years, he has become a regularly featured commentator on BBC and ITV news broadcasts along with creating the Warwick Leadership Foundation as a mentoring tool for developing ethical, young leaders.

“There is only one race; the human race,” Taylor said. “We can’t shake hands with a clenched fist. We need to build bridges between people, not walls.”

As the son of Jamaican immigrants, Taylor was born in the city of Birmingham and studied English Literature and Law at Keele University and the Inns of Court School of Law, respectively.

For more information on Lord Taylor, visit www.lordtaylor.org

Fisk Receives Honorable Mention During PENCIL Partners and Volunteers Awards in Nashville

Fisk University earned an honorable mention during the Outstanding School and System-Wide Partnership Awards presentation by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center.  The awards were given as part of the BRAVO! Celebrating PENCIL Partners and Volunteers event on May 13. Other award winners included Adventure Science Center of Nashville who’s staff volunteer time totaled more than 1,000 and Nashville’s Tools for Schools, and organization that assists schools across the city with special carpentry projects.

Established in 1982, PENCIL Foundation administers educational programs for youth designed to improve academic achievement, build character, and help transition young adults into post-secondary education or into the workforce after graduation. For more information, visit www.pencilfoundation.org.

Fisk Chemist and Professor Dr. Lawrence Pratt Lectures at Osaka University

Fisk University professor Dr. Lawrence Pratt recently presented a series of lectures on organometallic chemistry at Osaka University in Osaka, Japan.

“Organometallic chemistry is a field of growing importance and is used largely in the synthesis of plastics as well as pharmaceuticals,” Dr. Pratt said.  “The goal of these lectures was to create new knowledge that will provide students with essential background material for further study.”

Earlier in 2009, Dr. Pratt along with Osaka University Professor of Chemistry Nobuaki Kambe and Osaka University Professor of Dentistry Professor Shin-ichi Fujiwara, published research on organometallic chemistry in Tetrahedron, a leading journal in the field of organic chemistry. 

Homecoming 2009 Young Alumni Events

Email suggestions for young alumni association events to fiskyoungalumni@gmail.com.

Fisk University Homecoming 2009 will be held from Thursday, November 19 through Sunday, November 22. The Young Alumni Association (YAA) is gearing up to host activities for returning young alumni. Email your feedback and suggestions to fiskyoungalumni@gmail.com.

“What’s on WFSK”

Be sure to catch the following programs on 88.1 FM- WFSK or online at wfsk.org.:

Monday 6-7 p.m.- Freestyle with Ron Wynn
Featured Topics:
-Do you think saving the auto industry in America is vital?
- Should Congress restore the $73 million in funding to HBCU’s being trimmed in the proposed budget by President Obama?

 
Tuesday 6-7 p.m.-Mind on the Matter with Dr. Jeff Mensize
Featured Topic: “Your Health is Your Wealth: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure!” Guest: Queen Afua

Fisk University Featured in Upcoming Tavis Smiley Documentary, “Stand”

Tavis Smiley kneels near Jubilee Hall at Fisk during the making of the documentary, "Stand."

Fisk University will be one of the featured sites in the upcoming documentary, “Stand,” featuring Tavis Smiley, Dr. Cornel West, Cliff West, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, BeBe Winans, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Dick Gregory and Wren T. Brown. These men gathered to explore the African American male experience during a special trip through Memphis and Nashville.

“I see this movie as a window, if you will, into the world of Black men…This film features a range of Black men that we run into in church, over dinner on the streets of Memphis and Nashville,” Smiley said.

The documentary was shot during the summer of 2008, just months before the election of President Obama and months after the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The group visited Fisk University as Jubilee Hall was the location of Dr. Cornel and Cliff West’s parent’s first meeting.

“Stand” will air on TV One on May 24 from 9 -11 p.m. For more information, visit tvoneonline.com.

Fiskite Linda Kenney Miller Nominated for 2009 Georgia Author of the Year

Alumna Linda Kenney Miller ('67) with SGA President Elect Daniel Scarver and Professor Emeritus L.M. Collins

Congratulations to Fisk alumna Linda Kenney Miller for her recent nomination as 2009 Georgia Author of the Year for her latest novel, “Beacon on the Hill.” The novel captured the  USA Book News’ 2008 Best Book Award in the category of historical fiction as well as the 2009 National Indie Excellence Award in the category of African American fiction.

Click here  for more about author Linda Kenney Miller and “Beacon on the Hill.”