News & Information
Trustees Name Frank L. Sims Acting President and
Plan National Search
August 27, 2022
Nashville, TENN. (August 27, 2022) – The Board of Trustees of Fisk University today announced the departure of Dr. Vann R. Newkirk as President of the University. Effective immediately, Board Chair Frank L. Sims will serve as acting President.
“The Board of Trustees is charged with ensuring that Fisk University continues to excel as a leading academic institution and that our future is defined by a shared vision and set of values,” said Chair Sims. “ The Board unanimously agreed that the next chapter in the Fisk future calls for new leadership. We thank Dr. Newkirk for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors. We look forward to conducting a thorough and extensive search process for our next President.“
Fisk 2020 Virtual Spring Arts Festival
Click on the image, below, to visit the festival.
Fisk University Receives Approval to Offer Homeland Security Degree Program
July 24, 2019
Nashville, Tennessee. Fisk University is pleased to announce that the Southern Association of Colleges and schools approved Fisk’s baccalaureate degree program in Homeland Security. The program is the only such degree program in the state of Tennessee and one of only a handful across the South.
According to Provost Vann Newkirk, “the program will not only expand Fisk University’s degree offerings, but it will allow the University to target a new market for the military. For that reason, the program will not only be offered on the Fisk University campus but also in Clarksville, Tennessee, at the home of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division.”
Fisk University Receives Approval to Offer Bachelor of Science Degree in Data Science, beginning Spring 2020
Fisk University recently received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) to offer an undergraduate degree program in Data Science (BS). The new program will launch in the spring of 2020. Data science is a multi-disciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. “This program will open new doors for graduates of the university,” said the new program director Sajid Hussain, Ph.D.
Fisk University Works to Provide Enhanced Career Guidance for Students
New partnership with YouScience helps connect students with in-demand job opportunities
July 17, 2019
Fisk University today announced a new effort to help students better understand how their natural abilities align with today’s workforce and plan proactive education pathways to pursue in-demand jobs.
The institution has partnered with Nashville-based edtech company YouScience to provide a cutting-edge aptitude assessment tool to students as part of their first-year seminar course. Beginning in the 2019–2020 academic year, all freshmen students will be required to utilize the YouScience program, which uses a series of scientifically-proven “brain games” to identify students’ unique aptitudes and showcase how these innate talents “fit” with modern career pathways.
Mr. Lynwood Berry Retires from Fisk University after More than 30 Years of Service
July 5, 2019
“It is with mixed emotions that we are announcing our friend and longtime employee Mr. Berry’s retirement from Fisk University. Mr. Berry has been a pillar in our community for over 30 years in various roles from student activities to alumni affairs, touching many lives along the way. He will always be remembered for his sunny disposition, and love for everything Fisk. We wish nothing but success for Mr. Berry as he begins the next chapter in his life.” —Fisk Website
Fisk Food and Music Festival on the Campus Grove, June 29
Fisk University President’s Monthly Newsletter, June 5, 2019

Pictured left to right: Rev. Jason Curry, Chairman Frank Sims, Trustee Rev. Marcus Cosby ’95, Rev. Al Sharpton, and President Kevin D. Rome
Greetings,
The month of May was a period of achievement. Many students completed their undergraduate and graduate careers by crossing the stage; our Silver and Golden Sons and Daughters (Class of 1994 and Class of 1969, respectively) achieved a significant milestone in their lives as alumni; and I completed my year in Leadership Nashville, an academy which acquaints Nashvillian leaders with the diversity of people, places, and cultures of metropolitan Nashville. Reunion weekend has coincided with Commencement for many years and in only my third time participating, it continues to get better each year. The end of the school year is always a whirlwind of activity with an invigorating burst of energy from all the people on campus.
Fisk University Organist Anthony Williams Performed Concert of Music by Black Composers in Columbus