Fisk University leaders faced a packed room of frustrated residents, alumni and community members Monday night during the school’s first public town hall addressing its proposed data center, a project that has stirred mounting opposition in the North Nashville community. According to WKRN, attendees raised concerns ranging from noise and energy consumption to broader environmental impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference released the following statement on its name change to the HBCU Athletic Conference:
We are thrilled to announce that the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference is set to undergo a remarkable rebranding, emerging with a new name "HBCU Athletic Conference" and tagline "Where Winners Thrive". We are also announcing the contract renewal of Hope Credit Union (HOPE), the title sponsor for our basketball and baseball championships and our official banking partner.
Overview:The HBCU Athletic Conference represents a dynamic evolution in our commitment to excellence and the empowerment of student-athletes. As we embrace this new identity, we are excited to showcase the vibrant legacy of our member institutions. We have set out to share stories of impact at the intersection of heritage and higher education.
In addition to our new brand identity, our banking partner, Hope Credit Union, has agreed to renew its contract for three years becoming the largest sponsorship contract in conference history.
The Board of Trustees of Fisk University announced the appointment of Dr. Agenia Walker Clark as its next president, effective November 6, 2023. She will be the University’s third female head and the 18th president of the 158-year-old-university, one of the nation’s highest-ranking Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
She replaces interim president Frank Sims, a member of the Board of Trustees, who has served in that position since 2021.
Dr. Clark most recently served as CEO for the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee – where, during her 19-year tenure, she increased the agency’s operational efficiencies, increased its reserves, built new facilities, and transformed the agency into one of the highest performing of the 111 councils in the Girl Scout network.
“Dr. Clark’s lifelong dedication to improving the lives of young people, along with her unique combination of fundraising and brand-building skills, are exactly what Fisk needs today,” said Juliette Pryor, chair of the Fisk Board of Trustees.
“I know that Dr. Clark’s bold ideas will positively impact our campus community today while assuring a fast-growing trajectory for the future.”
Prior to the Girl Scouts, Dr. Clark was the Vice President of Human Resources for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, Senior Director of Human Resources at Vanderbilt University and directed human resources for Canadian telecommunications provider Nortel Networks, where she also served as a manager of government relations.
“To serve a new generation of brilliant, socially minded students—not unlike their counterparts of decades past, like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, John Lewis and Dr. Diane Nash—is surely the honor of my lifetime,” said Clark. “No institution of higher-ed has a richer legacy—or a richer promise for the future—than Fisk.”
Dr. Clark was named “Nashvillian of the Year” in 2021 and as one of “Nashville’s 100 Most Powerful People,” 2015–2020, by the Nashville Business Journal. An inductee into the Academy for Women of Achievement, she is also a Nashville Post Person-In-Charge (2014–2021). She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), a member of the 2016 Class of Leadership Tennessee, and 1996 Class of Leadership Nashville.
She currently serves on the corporate board of directors for FirstBank Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBK) as well as the boards of trustees for Belmont and Simmons Universities – and is a trustee emerita on the board of the Haslam School of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. Clark earned a B.S. and MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her Doctorate in Leadership from Vanderbilt University.
The year-long search for Fisk’s 18th president was led by Board Trustee JoLinda Herring ’85, in conjunction with executive search and leadership advisory firm, Russell Reynolds Associates.
“The Board was searching for a uniquely bold and visionary leader, and we found her in Dr. Clark,” said Pryor.
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| Photo Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean |
During remarks at Fisk University in Nashville, Vice President Kamala Harris shared her support for the state representatives expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives after they protested with a bullhorn on the general assembly floor.
Fisk University is delighted to announce the launch of the first HBCU Intercollegiate Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team. Woman’s gymnastics exemplifies the values of Fisk University: determination, excellence, and a commitment to a more just and equitable future. These values have consistently been at the forefront of women’s gymnastics and Fisk could not be more excited to welcome these remarkable student-athletes to the campus starting this coming fall. Fisk University has always been recognized for its commitment to academic excellence and social justice. In recent years, the University has focused on increasing its athletic profile considering the growing interest among student-athletes for an elite HBCU experience. With NBA legend Kenny Anderson and former Soccer star Desmond Armstrong as well as an outstanding woman’s volleyball program under Coach Jessica Enderle, Fisk is poised to develop elite national programs.
Fisk University has built remarkable momentum in recent years said, President Vann Newkirk. The University is committed to preparing the next generation of leaders and c-suite executives. Student-Athletes depend on an institution that enables them to translate their unique skills to professional success. Fisk’s many corporate partners are excited about the talent pipelines and the programming that has been put in place to maximize the potential of our students and our student-athletes. The recent announcement of Fisk’s partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers adds another opportunity for Fisk students to excel in the sports industry. In anticipation of this women’s gymnastics announcement, Fisk University has already begun securing scholarship funding for these future student-athletes. Fisk University also plans to host several conferences, clinics, and invitationals in partnership with organizations like Brown Girls do Gymnastics.
