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| Jubilee Hall |
Fisk University, a historically
black college located in Nashville, TN, minutes from downtown, as well as
Vanderbilt University, is the most friendly and welcoming of the Southern
universities I visited this summer. Madeline Kronenberg and I were only on
campus for mere minutes before we had engaging conversations with a member of
the university’s staff and two of their students, both of whom were struck with
awe at the idea that we would want to bring California students to Tennessee,
as the Golden State is a dream destination of their own. It was through these
students that we were introduced to Anthony Jones, Fisk’s director of
recruitment and admission. Before arriving at campus, we had heard word of
Fisk’s struggles and seemingly unavoidable demise. Reports of their impending
doom have been greatly exaggerated. Fisk University, while admittedly facing some bureaucratic adversity, is continuing to serve their students at a level
unmatched by many of their peers.
Fisk is considered one of the
five Black Ivy League schools, which also include Howard, Spelman, Xavier, and
Morehouse. Fisk by no means is a black-only institution. The school does
include white and Latino students and is dedicated to expanding the diversity
of their student body in coming years, an effort already well underway.
The school is well noted for its
work in the sciences, especially in medicine. Fisk has arrangements with both
Vanderbilt and Meharry Medical College that allow for combined and accelerated
degrees in medicine and health. Fisk also has strong pre-law and
pre-engineering programs. Need evidence of Fisk’s value? For the past ten
years, Money Magazine has included Fisk
on its “100 Best College Buys”
list. Fisk is ranked 1st
of moderately selective colleges when it comes to graduating
low-income students. According to Anthony Jones, more than half of Fisk
graduates go on to graduate school. This is source of great pride for the
university, as they foremost consider themselves a preparation school for
advanced degrees. In a day and age when schools seem to be focused on plugging
out career-oriented labor, I find this to be both impressive and refreshing.
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| Aaron Douglas Mural |
A highlight of the Fisk visit was
visiting Jubilee Hall, the South's (and perhaps this country’s) first permanent
structure built for the education of black students. The building includes a
massive central staircase reserved solely for graduates of the university who
have reached their golden anniversary, 50 years, of their graduation. The
campus is rich in African American history, with the world famous Jubilee
Singers, W. E. B. Du
Bois, Nikki Giovanni, and Hazel O’Leary all calling Fisk home at one
time. The school is also noted for their museum of art, which holds works by
Georgia O’Keefe, Aaron Douglas, Pablo Picasso, and Alfred Stieglitz.
In addition to learning about
college life at Fisk, Madeline Kronenberg and I discovered the school’s hidden
jewel, a six-week summer program designed for high school students to gain
exposure to higher education. We had a very productive conversation with
Anthony Jones and Jason Meriwether, Vice President of Student Engagement and
Enrollment Management, about creating a connection between WCCUSD and Fisk, one
that I hope to see come to fruition next summer.
Students looking for a
personalized education at an elite school should look at Fisk. Students
invested in African American history and joining a supportive network of
learners and educators should also consider Fisk as a viable college option.
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