Fisk University Appoints Agenia Walker Clark as 18th President
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Posted By: S. Moore on November 21, 2023 In early September, Fisk University announced that Agenia Walker Clark, the longtime CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, would become the 158-year-old school’s 18th president and only the third woman to hold the office. Then, a month later and without fanfare, Clark got to work. She did not want the expense of a ceremony marking the start of her presidency. Fisk, she said, had better uses for the money. Clark now leads the oldest college in Nashville. Before integration, Fisk was the place where white and Black Nashvillians gathered to talk about art and culture. And Fisk students played a crucial role in ending segregation in the city. Brilliant artists and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance came to the South because of Fisk. Prominent Fisk graduates, like the scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, the poet Nikki Giovanni and civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, changed America. The school, despite its history and strong academic reputation, has also struggled. Weak finances at the start of this century, Fisk leaders say, nearly forced the school to close. In recent years, presidents have not lasted long, and interim leaders have often been in charge. Over the last five years, Fisk has stabilized its finances. Enrollment has nearly doubled to more than 1,000 students. People inside the school talk with hope about a new era. Clark spoke to The Tennessean's Todd A. Price about her vision and plans for one of America’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities. She detailed with authority the needs of the school, drawing on her time on the boards of Belmont University and the business school at the University of Tennessee, while also showing unconcealed joy when discussing the students and the historic place where she now works. The interview was edited for length and clarity. You now lead one of America's most important historically Black universities. What was your own education like? Clark: I grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and was in the public school system. Then in the ninth grade, I got a scholarship for St. Paul's Episcopal School. The bishop of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast wanted to see the school integrated. For me, that was such a unique opportunity. Then, like many of the students here at Fisk, I was the first member of my family who had the privilege of pursuing a degree outside of the high school diploma. I was able to go to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Some of us really enjoy the educational process and don't know when it's time to say one degree is enough. Yes, you have three degrees. An bachelor's degree and an MBA from the University of Tennessee and a doctorate in leadership from Vanderbilt University. And each time it was because there was something I was interested in. I saw education as an opportunity to explore something different. So I just kept on going. My daughter says, “Mom, you're the only one in the family who likes going to school.” Today some question the need for HBCUs. How do you answer them? This is a choice. Every child is looking for something they think helps them belong. Whether they choose to belong at a major state school, a small, private liberal arts school or an HBCU, it is the privilege of choice. And as Americans, we like choice. The difference in this HBCU, in Fisk, is it’s a choice to be part of a culture as well as academic experience. Why do students choose Fisk? They've heard about the culture. They've heard about the history. They've heard about the excellence in the classroom. We’re a small, intimate school. The faculty know the students. The students know the faculty. And when they talk about family, they really mean it. A portrait of The Jubilee Singers – commissioned as a gift by Queen Victoria in 1873 – is the backdrop for Fisk University President Agenia Walker Clark in Jubilee Hall at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. The group toured the United States and Europe to raise funds for the school. Jubilee Hall is the centerpiece of the school which is one of the first Historic Black Colleges and Universities in The South. You spent two decades as the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. What made you want to take on this new challenge of leading Fisk? After I completed my MBA, I was working at a company here in Metro Center called Northern Telecom. I learned that Fisk University was right down the street. The school had some vacancies in the classroom, so I raised my hand and filled in as a volunteer adjunct instructor. This university was my first community service opportunity in Nashville. Once you step into a classroom on this campus and work with these students, you never forget it. When I got the phone call from the search committee, it immediately brought back that experience of teaching at Fisk and how much I loved it. I was told you came to the search committee with a clear vision and a concrete pitch for the future of Fisk. I've lived here in Nashville. I have watched Fisk evolve. I've watched it go through ups and downs. This institution is an integral part of the foundation of who we are in Nashville. So I shared with the board that this is an unique opportunity for a reawakening of the Fisk brand. Everybody knows Fisk, but let’s talk about what’s going on and what’s coming down the pipeline. This is a new day. Your background is not typical for a university president. You have not had an academic career. What similarities do you see between running the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee and leading Fisk? The skill I've gained throughout my career is the art of making friends throughout this community and from all walks of life. That includes corporate leaders and government leaders. And all of us need to come together, because it is imperative that Fisk make it another 150 years. Fisk has been through a lot of leadership changes in recent years. How can you bring stability to the school? This time the board filled the president’s seat with someone who was right here. I already have connections in the community. I know people that have been around this campus forever. I'm not new to the community. I'm only new to this role. I think there may be a great exhale, because I've been here and I don't plan on going anywhere. Fisk University President Agenia Walker Clark is photographed in front of Jubilee Hall at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Jubilee Hall is the centerpiece of the school which is one of the first Historic Black Colleges and Universities in The South. Do you feel like Nashville as a city appreciates Fisk both for its current work and its history? People like me who've been around for 37 years? Absolutely. The newcomers who just got here five years ago? Maybe not. I've got to educate the newcomers because we have a lot of them. And I want to make sure they feel as connected to Fisk as those of us who came here 35 years ago or who are natives to Nashville. It’s as important to make sure longtime Nashvillians haven't forgotten about Fisk. They need to understand what's going on today, versus what they may have read about 30 years ago. Fisk, despite periods of financial struggle and leadership instability, has never lost its strong academic reputation. How has the school maintained those standards? Fisk has always been wealthy in its students. It has exceptional wealth in its faculty and the scholarship that comes from there. Fisk has the wealth of alumni that are wedded to this institution years after they graduate. Fisk just doesn't have economic wealth. My job now is to introduce everyone to the wealth of this institution, and then ask if they'll be a part of the needed wealth of economic investment in Fisk. SOURCE The Tennesean If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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