Campbellsville University Features University Organist Anthony Williams

Professor of Music and University Organist Anthony Williams will be featured in concert at Cambellsville University on February 8th.

Dr. Williams will perform works by J.S. Bach, John W. Work III and Florence Price.  Dr. Williams has performed throughout the United States, Central America and Europe and is also the author of “The Keyboard Music of John W. Work II” published by Edwin Mellen Press.

Click here for more information.

Read Full Post »

Civil Rights Activist, Author and Former NAACP Chairperson Myrlie Evers-Williams Speaks at Fisk University’s 2011 MLK Convocation

Civil rights activist, author and former NAACP Chair Myrlie Evers-Williams will give the convocation address at Fisk University’s commemoration of the legacy and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the Fisk Memorial Chapel. The convocation is free and the public is invited to attend.

Evers-Williams, a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, attended Alcorn State University where she met and later married her first husband, the late Medgar Evers, who was appointed as the NAACP’s first field secretary of Mississippi in 1954. The couple organized efforts throughout the state of Mississippi to recruit new members for the organization and were leaders in the desegregation of local businesses and schools. The latter effort resulted in the University of Mississippi enrolling its first African-American student, James Meredith, in 1962. As their reputation grew during that time, the Evers were targeted for physical attacks. They experienced the bombing of their carport on May 28, 1963. A few weeks later, Medgar Evers was assassinated just outside of the family’s home in Jackson, Mississippi on June 12, 1963. 

Evers-Williams left Mississippi with her three children and moved to California where she earned her degree in sociology from Pomona College in 1968. After graduating, she served as director of consumer affairs at Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO.)  In 1970 and 1971, Evers-Williams ran for Congress and helped to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus.

In 1995, Evers-Williams became the first woman elected as chair of the Board of the NAACP. As the NAACP’s top official, Evers-Williams led efforts to restore the organization’s fiscal stability. She did not to seek a second term but founded the Medgar Evers Institute in Jackson, Mississippi to impact and train youth in creating positive change through civic engagement.  In 1999, Evers-Williams penned her autobiography, “Watch Me Fly.”

Additionally, Evers-Williams served as consultant for the 1996 film, “Ghosts of Mississippi.” The film recounts the third trial of Byron De La Beckwith who was convicted in 1994 of the murder of Medgar Evers. Evers-Williams is also the author of “For Us, The Living,” which recounts her courtship and marriage to Medgar Evers and the couple’s role as central figures of the Civil Rights Movement.

Since 1985, Fisk University has commemorated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As the civil rights era gained momentum in the mid 1950′s, Dr. King’s first address at Fisk was at the University’s commencement exercises in 1956. Over the next decade, King’s appearances at Fisk galvanized an active student body who later organized non-violent demonstrations against racism in Nashville, Tennessee. Even before activists in the early 1980s worked to gain a national holiday for Dr. King, Fisk was one of the first Nashville institutions to hold commemorative events in his honor.

Read Full Post »

Fisk University Maintains Its SACSCOC Reaffirmation of Accreditation with Warning Status

In response to Fisk University’s November monitoring report, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) concluded that Fisk University maintains its reaffirmation of accreditation with a six-month warning. At the conclusion of the warning period, the University will submit a follow-up monitoring report that addresses SACS’s Comprehensive Standard for financial stability. A SACS warning is the lesser of the two sanction options, the other being probation.

Fisk University remains fully accredited. The University has met all of SACS’s Core Requirements. Federal funding for Fisk’s nationally ranked academic programs continues as does financial aid for students.

“Fisk’s work to improve financial stability is the key to removing the SACS warning,” said Fisk President Hazel R. O’Leary. “The path to financial stability includes three elements: a successful outcome with each annual fundraising effort; increasing Fisk’s net assets base which requires that Fisk increase its endowment; and a clean financial audit. This is why the board-approved sharing agreement with Crystal Bridges Museum of Art for undivided half-interest in the Stieglitz Collection in exchange for $30 million is vital to Fisk’s future.”

Read Full Post »

Fisk University’s Global and Community Lecture Series Welcomes Alumnus and Chief Operating Officer of The United States Agency for International Development Alonzo Fulgham

Fisk Alumnus and Chief Operating Officer of the United States Agency for International Development Alonzo Fulgham(’80)  charged Fisk’s freshmen class to offer their service to communities at home and abroad during the University’s Global and Community Lecture Series.

“Be passionate about the world you are inheriting,” Fulgham said. “Take a personal commitment to you your country and the world and make it a better place.”

In addition to a stellar turnout by Fisk’s Class of 2014,  members of the faculty and Nashville community were also in attendance for Fulgham’s lecture, “Why the World Needs You Now: Your Role in Economic Development and National Security Policy.”

Held in the Appleton Room of Jubilee Hall, Fulgham’s lecture was followed by a Q and A session with students. Fulgham spoke of his matriculation as a Fisk undergraduate remembering economics classes with professor Wilfred Davis and a roommate who served as the campus Peace Corps recruiter. He named these factors as influences on his initial aspirations for global service. Fulgham said the Fisk Experience also contributed to his preparation for leadership at USAID, a $15 billion sub cabinet agency that provides economic development and humanitarian assistance around the world.

“The world is a serious place,” Fulgham said. “The confidence that I have today…I got it from Fisk University.”

In 2006, Alonzo Fulgham was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of USAID. Fulgham directs the Agency through the implementation of its policies and reforms and assists the Secretary of State in reaching diplomacy goals. Fulgham has served at USAID since 1989 in a variety of capacities that include Private Sector Advisor in Swaziland and in Jordan and Deputy Director in Serbia and Montenegro.

Since 2006, Fisk’s Global and Community Lecture Series has introduced the city of Nashville to global and community leaders who demonstrate excellence in their respective areas and are respected as worldwide leaders and advocates for positive change. Fisk’s Global and Community Lecture Series has featured former U.S. Trade Representative The Honorable Mickey Kantor, Fisk alumnus, scholar, activist and distinguished professor Dr. Preston King as well as alumna, acclaimed poet, author and distinguished professor Nikki Giovanni.

Read Full Post »

Statement From Fisk University Regarding the Attorney General’s Filing and Proposal for the Exhibition of The Stieglitz Collection

The development brought to the attention of the Chancellor by the Attorney General in his filing of Friday, October 22^nd, regarding the exhibition of the Stieglitz Art Collection, does not address Fisk’s fundamental financial challenge which is that without a large infusion of cash Fisk cannot continue to operate.

This unsubstantiated plan, purportedly funded by unknown donors and pledge amounts, is another scheme which fails to address Fisk’s survival.  The Court has already ruled that any proposal must address Fisk University’s overall financial health; the Attorney General’s plan does not mention Fisk’s well-being. 

Further, this plan purports to substitute the Frist Center with the Tennessee State Museum for the display and maintenance of the collection. Specifically, the Chancery Court stated:

 It would not be in keeping, then, with the donor’s intent to keep the Collection in Nashville at the cost of sacrificing the existence of Fisk University.

Fisk is Nashville’s first university and is the number one producer of African-Americans who go on to earn doctoral degrees in the natural sciences than any school in the nation.  

The only proposal before the Court which can provide for the permanent care of the art and allow Fisk University to continue its primary educational mission is the sharing arrangement with Crystal Bridges Museum.

Read Full Post »

Riverside Chapel Nashville Hosts Nikki Giovanni

Fisk alumna and acclaimed poet, author and educator Nikki Giovanni will be featured speaker and guest at Riverside Chapel’s “Riverside Conversations” on October 16th at 6:00 p.m. Riverside Chapel is located at 800 Young’s Lane in Nashville.

Giovanni has written nearly 30 books, has earned awards from the NAACP, Ebony Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal and Mademoiselle Magazine. In 2007, Giovanni served as Fisk University Distinguished Professor.

“Riverside Conversations” is an academic lecture forum that seeks to connect iconic professionals, athletes and entertainers with the Nashville community.

Read Full Post »

Read The Full Transcript of Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson’s Jubilee Day Address, ” Turning Darkness Into Day”

In October, The Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson(’85), Executive Director for Children’s Defense Fund-New York, was Fisk’s Jubilee Day Speaker. Due to the overwhelming response and inquiry, the University has obtained permission from Dr. Simpson to repost the transcript of her address, “Turning Darkness Into Day.” 

While at Fisk as a student, Simpson was a member of the Jubilee Singers for three of her four undergraduate years. “I chose Fisk for lots of reasons, but mostly because I fell in love with the powerful theology of the Negro Spirituals,” Simpson said. “I am still taken by the faith of these songs..Especially now as my work at the Children’s Defense Fund focuses more and more on sounding the alarm about America’s cradle to prison pipeline crisis, these songs continue to provide clarity of mission for me.”

Below is Simpson’s address, “Turning Darkness Into Day,” from Jubilee Day 2010:

Read Full Post »

Statement From Fisk University

Today Fisk University filed with the Davidson County Chancery Court a supplemental brief containing its responses to the changes in the agreement it has with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art which the Court requested.  Fisk advised the Court that it and Crystal Bridges have agreed to the requested changes.  In most cases, the language used in the amended agreements exactly tracks the changes suggested by the Court.   In the few cases where the amended changes do not follow the Court’s language verbatim, substantially the same results are reached with other language.

One of the changes requested by the Court is a definitive schedule as to when the art will be exhibited in each location.  In the amendments, Fisk and Crystal Bridges have agreed that the art will remain at Fisk until 2013, and will then be exhibited at Crystal Bridges for two years and will return to Fisk during the 2015 to 2017 period.  Thereafter, the art will be on a two-year rotation unless the committee established to oversee the art has a good reason to make a change.  In any event, the art will be exhibited for equal time periods in each location.

Another change which has been made is an agreement that any future disputes will be brought to the Davidson County Chancery Court.  Another change provides that Crystal Bridges cannot sell its one-half ownership without the consent of the Chancery Court and then only to another public museum.

Fisk President Hazel R. O’Leary said:

“In her September 14th memorandum and order, the Chancellor outlined a clear roadmap of changes necessary to protect the donor’s intent. Fisk and Crystal Bridges museum have agreed to those changes. We believe that Crystal Bridges will be an excellent museum and steward of The Stieglitz Collection.

In the 21^st century, museums have adopted the practice of sharing artwork to reduce the cost of acquisition and to ensure that a broader segment of the population can view and study collections. The students of Fisk, to whom Georgia O’Keeffe made the gift of art, citizens of Nashville and of the state of Tennessee, are in no way adversely impacted by this sharing agreement. Rather, because of the sharing arrangement, more people in the South can enjoy and study The Stieglitz Collection which was the donor’s intent.”
Today Fisk University filed with the Davidson County Chancery Court a supplemental brief containing its responses to the changes in the agreement it has with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art which the Court requested.  Fisk advised the Court that it and Crystal Bridges have agreed to the requested changes.  In most cases, the language used in the amended agreements exactly tracks the changes suggested by the Court.   In the few cases where the amended changes do not follow the Court’s language verbatim, substantially the same results are reached with other language.

One of the changes requested by the Court is a definitive schedule as to when the art will be exhibited in each location.  In the amendments, Fisk and Crystal Bridges have agreed that the art will remain at Fisk until 2013, and will then be exhibited at Crystal Bridges for two years and will return to Fisk during the 2015 to 2017 period.  Thereafter, the art will be on a two-year rotation unless the committee established to oversee the art has a good reason to make a change.  In any event, the art will be exhibited for equal time periods in each location.

Another change which has been made is an agreement that any future disputes will be brought to the Davidson County Chancery Court.  Another change provides that Crystal Bridges cannot sell its one-half ownership without the consent of the Chancery Court and then only to another public museum.

Fisk President Hazel R. O’Leary said:

“In her September 14th memorandum and order, the Chancellor outlined a clear roadmap of changes necessary to protect the donor’s intent. Fisk and Crystal Bridges museum have agreed to those changes. We believe that Crystal Bridges will be an excellent museum and steward of The Stieglitz Collection.

In the 21^st century, museums have adopted the practice of sharing artwork to reduce the cost of acquisition and to ensure that a broader segment of the population can view and study collections. The students of Fisk, to whom Georgia O’Keeffe made the gift of art, citizens of Nashville and of the state of Tennessee, are in no way adversely impacted by this sharing agreement. Rather, because of the sharing arrangement, more people in the South can enjoy and study The Stieglitz Collection which was the donor’s intent.”

Read Full Post »

Fisk SGA President Jenise Burks Interviewed on HBCU Digest Radio

Fisk SGA President Jenise Burks will be the featured guest on the Thursday, October 7th edition of HBCU digest radio at 5:00 p.m. (CDT)/6:00 p.m. (eastern). Ms. Burks will discuss the role of student involvement in advancing HBCUs and the importance of tradition and choice to African-American students.

Tune in for HBCU digest radio at www.blogtalkradio.com

Read Full Post »

Fisk University and Nashville Commemorate Jubilee Day on October 6, 2010

Fisk University will celebrate the 139th anniversary of The Fisk Jubilee Singers ® during its 2010 Jubilee Day Celebration on October 6 beginning at 10 a.m. in the Fisk Memorial Chapel. Jubilee Day commemorates the day that the Jubilee Singers and their director, George L. White, began their historic, inaugural tour to raise funds for the University.

This is the first performance of the 2010-11 Jubilee Singers and is free and open to the public.

The Jubilee Day address will be delivered by Fisk alumna and Children’s Defense Fund New York Executive Director Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson(’85.) Founded in 1973 by noted attorney and activist Marian Wright Edelman, The Children’s Defense Fund advocates for the protection and development of children in the United States by supporting policies and programs that lift children out of poverty, protect them from abuse and neglect, and ensure their access to health care and quality education.

The organization also conducts research on the effects of federal and state policies on children and their communities. As executive director, Simpson serves as lead advocate on behalf of children to New York’s elected officials, policymakers and communities.

Simpson was a member of The Fisk Jubilee Singers for three years.

“I chose Fisk for lots of reasons, but mostly because I fell in love with the powerful theology of the Negro Spirituals,” Simpson said.  “I am still taken by the faith of these songs….Especially now as my work at the Children’s Defense Fund focuses more and more on sounding the alarm about America’s cradle to prison pipeline crisis, these songs continue to provide clarity of mission for me.”

Simpson’s recent sermons, essays and reflections have been included in such publications as Global Black Woman Magazine and The African American Pulpit Journal. After graduating from Fisk University, Simpson earned her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and Drew Theological Seminary, respectively. Additionally, Simpson serves as associate pastor of The Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY.

Immediately following convocation, Fisk alumni and friends will make their annual pilgrimage to City Cemetery and Greenwood Cemetery to visit the gravesites of four of the original Jubilee Singers: Ella Sheppard Moore, Mabel Lewis Imes, Georgia Gordon Taylor and Minnie Tate Hall.

The celebration of Jubilee Day occurs annually at Fisk on October 6th. On that day in 1871, the original group of nine students and their music professor, George L. White, began their first tour to raise operating funds for the University. Through their sacrifice and perseverance, the group’s earnings paid for the construction of Jubilee Hall, the first permanent building in America erected for the education of African Americans. During their first tours, the Singers also contributed tour earnings to The Great Chicago Fire victims in 1871 and were invited to perform at The White House by President Ulysses Grant in 1872. In 1873, the group grew to eleven members and performed for the crowned heads of Europe, including Queen Victoria.

Fisk Jubilee Singers
Long recognized as one of America’s foremost a cappella ensembles and as the premier carriers of the Negro Spiritual, The Fisk Jubilee Singers were awarded the National Medal of Arts from the President of the United States in November of 2008. The Medal is acknowledged as the nation’s most prestigious citation for artists and arts patrons.

For nearly a decade students who have earned positions as Jubilee Singers have maintained a graduation rate of 95 percent; many with honors in their major course of study. In addition to their studies, these same students continue to tour the nation and serve as ambassadors for Fisk University.

Fisk University
Founded in 1866, Fisk is Nashville’s first university. Fisk is one of six historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) listed in Forbes Magazine’s 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” and the University has been ranked nineteen consecutive years in The Princeton Review’s “Best 371 Colleges.” U.S. News and World Report ranks Fisk as the seventh best HBCU and as a tier one school among the 1,400 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Fisk has earned three R & D 100 Awards for work in the creation of radiation detectors developed in collaboration with several national laboratories and private corporations. No other HBCU has earned an R & D 100 Award.  According to the National Science Foundation, Fisk produces more African Americans who go on to earn doctoral degrees in the natural sciences than any school in the nation.

Read Full Post »