Fisk Focus Vol. 1, Issue 5

FISK Focus An Electronic Publication for Alumni and Friends

Volume I, Issue 5

March 2011

From President Hazel Reid O’Leary ’59 Inside this issue: From the President

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Global & Community Series Lecturer Los Angeles Alumni Recruitment SEUSS Conference University Choir Tour

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Faculty in the Limelight: Dr. Adenike Davidson Foundation Partner Spotlight 13th Annual Research Symposium

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ALUMNI RELATIONS From GAAFU President WFAA Goodie Bags Home Depot Voting Alumni Updates Fiskite in the News

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ADVANCEMENT & FUND RAISING From the Vice President 11 Annual Fund Monthly 12 Cumulative Report Coming Events 13

Last week, Fisk celebrated a superb 82nd Annual Spring Arts Festival. Art Contacted Sam Latham to secure enthusiasts experienced a a photo of HRO and MWK to variety of venues from the place here student art exhibit, Fisk Jubilee Singers® concert to the Wilson-Thompson exhibit featuring impressive works by African American artists. The Stagecrafters‘ presentation of ―For Colored Girls….‖ was staged to a full house for both the evening and matinee performances in The Little Theater. A Birthday Honoree Dr. Matthew W. Kennedy ’47 and President Hazel R. O’Leary ’59 highlight and the concludPhoto Credit: Sam Latham ing event of the festival was a magnificent concert of voice and piano honoring Dr. Matthew Kennedy‘s 90th birthday. Many Fisk Jubilee Singers®, present and past, entertained as solo artists to a packed house in the Clinton B. Fisk Memorial Chapel. The concert concluded with a mini concert performed by all the former and present Fisk Jubilee Singers® in attendance. The platform was six deep with Fisk Jubilee Singers®. Those of us who attended wished the night would never end. More than $14,000 was raised for the Anne Gamble Kennedy and Matthew W. Kennedy Endowed Scholarship.

On March 31, we hosted 51 students and their families from 18 states during Scholars Weekend. This activity is a key objective in our strategic goal to increase student enrollment. The enrollment management team and student leaders executed an active agenda for the prospective enrollees and their parents. The prospects moved into the residence halls with their student hosts to experience the academic and cultural life at Fisk. The parents participated in informational meetings that covered topics as broad as the academic programs, co-curricular programs, study abroad and campus security.

The visiting parents were pleased to review Fisk‘s safety statistics, which revealed that the incidence of crime on our campus is lower than that of our peer HBCUs and other institutions in Nashville. (Continued on page 2)

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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FROM PRESIDENT HAZEL REID O’LEARY ’59 (cont’d. from p. 1) These 51 scholars are among the most academically accomplished of the 791 students who have been accepted to the Fisk Class of 2015. As of March 25, Fisk has received 2,298 applications for fall enrollment. Our freshman class enrollment goal for Fall 2011 is 276. The chart below provides a year-over-year comparison of admission activity to date which reveals that applications have increased 30% over last year while the total admitted is up 34%. This is significant progress for Fisk.

Total Applications Initiated

3/25/09

3/25/10

3/25/11

1450

1620

2298

513

520

791

10

27

27

Total Admitted Total Submitted Enrollment Fee

Fisk‘s Spring Institute provided a stimulating and revitalizing dialogue among students, faculty and staff. We engaged in interactive discussions about challenges and progress achieved in meeting our Strategic Goals. A key goal is aggressive fundraising. You will be pleased to learn that Fisk exceeded its March 31, 2011 self-imposed goal of $3.1 million by 13% for a total $3.509 million.

The purpose of our goal was to demonstrate to SACSCOC in our April 15 filing the fundraising proficiency of Fisk. This is further demonstrated by the fact we are 79 percent ahead of the $1.94 million revenue raised in March 2010. I congratulate VP Shirley Range and her team for effectively engaging alumni, friends and trustees to answer the call to support Fisk.

I am grateful to each of you for the many sacrifices of time and treasure you make for Fisk. I gratefully acknowledge the General Alumni Association‘s thoughtful adaptation of Congressman John Lewis‘ calling post request for donations first offered by the Atlanta Fisk Club. Special thanks are extended to Robyn Sims and Linda Smith for their work to connect Congressman John Lewis and his message to Fiskites.

Our strength in fundraising and recruitment exists because of your contributions and hard work. I gratefully acknowledge the work of the Fisk Clubs and individuals who actively engage prospective students by sharing your Fisk story. Your work to support their continued matriculation at Fisk has included supplying ―mid-term goodie bags‖ and other treats from your home towns, providing book scholarships and invitations to Club sponsored holiday parties. All of your work and advice to prospective students is a best practice, which is key to recruitment. This, in turn, will sustain and increase our student enrollment.

I am grateful for your many acts in support of Fisk.

Warm regards,

Hazel R. O‘Leary ‘59 President

VOTE EVERY DAY, AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, IN HOME DEPOT’S “RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL” COMPETITION Click here to vote: http://www.retoolyourschool.com

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Fisk Welcomes Alumna, Professor, Medical Director and Medical Correspondent Dr. Lisa Thornton '87 for Global and Community Engagement Lecture Series Photo Credit: Adrienne Taylor Latham ’68

(L. to R.): Dean Reavis Mitchell ’69, Carta Robison, Dr. Lisa Thornton ’87, Valexia Edwards and Vernecia Harris

Fisk University Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles Hosts Part Two of Association’s Student Recruitment Series Photo Credit: Todd Chisolm

Part One of the Fisk University Alumni Association of Great Los Angeles‘ Student Recruitment Series occurred during the Los Angeles Black College Expo when Admissions Dean Keith Chandler ‘90 reviewed almost 200 applications and offered admission to 80 highly qualified applicants.

On March 19, 2011, the Association hosted Part Two of the series. The accepted students were invited to a reception, which was held at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship. Association Vice President Jefferson Cox ‘09 delivered an insightful address to the students as he explained the University‘s mission and programs. In addition, the students learned more about the University from the perspectives of alumni. Eligible students were awarded scholarships.

Six Greater Los Angeles area students were offered general academic scholarship awards totaling $54,000. The Los Angeles Area Alumni and Scholarship Recipients recipients had an average grade point average of 3.40.

Back Row, L. to R.: Lura Peters ‘51, Barbara Carson ‘50, Jefferson Cox ‘09, Luella Blaine Hill ‘48, In 2009, Fisk enrolled two new students from the Los Adrianne Dent Johnson ‘87, Walter Hunter ‘88, Dan Williams ‘74, Virginia Bland ‘60.

Angeles area, and in 2010, Fisk enrolled three new stuFront Row, L. t o R.: Accepted Students Diamond Weathers, Dominique Charlot, Aaron Dotson, dents from the area. One full tuition scholarship was Dreamer Daniels, Rayekel Shavers, Ebony Short. offered to Aaron Dotson who said that Fisk is now at the top of his list. Between now and August, Walter Hunter ‘88, Student Affairs and Scholarship Committee chairperson, will continue to work with the students as they navigate through the admissions process. Members of the Reception Committee include Walter Hunter ‘88, Vice President Virginia Smith Bland ‘60, Barbara Dawson Carson ‘50, Kieta Taylor ‘97, and Randa S. Brownlee ‘01. Other Fiskites in attendance were Association President Adrianne Dent Johnson ‘87, Luella Blaine Hill ‘48, Lura Cunningham Peters ‘51, Dan Williams ‘74, Iris C. Van Sciver ‘77, and Florann Elkins ‘96.

In Fall of 2010, the Office of Admission and Recruitment had received 1,738 total applications, of which 730 were offered admission and 216 new students enrolled. This represents a 30% admit to enrollment yield, which is an increase from a 24 percent yield in Fall of 2009. In seating the class of 2015, the current total of 2,298 applications exceeds the total number of applications we have received each year for the last three years. Fisk continues the upward trend in both applications and offers of admission to maintain the trend of increasing new student enrollment over the last two years to meet our goal of 276 new students. The work of alumni clubs with accepted students assists in ensuring that we attain our new student goal.

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Fisk Students Present at 29th Annual SouthEastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium Photo Credits: Pierre J. Moton

(L. to R.): Vickie Bufford, Pierre J. Moton, and Candace Warren tour Spelman College campus

Angela Addae Second Place Winner

Contributor: Linda l. Smith ’81

Celebrating at Caper’s Restaurant (L. to R.): Dr. Dani Smith, Jessica McDowell, and Angela Addae

The 29th Annual SouthEastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (SEUSS) was held at Morehouse College on Saturday, February 26, 2011. This year‘s theme was ―Complex Inequalities: the Need for Pragmatism in Research and Education.‖ The conference was co-sponsored by the Departments of Sociology at Morehouse College and Emory University. The Symposium provides undergraduate students the opportunity to present their research at a professional meeting. Students whose papers were accepted delivered a 12-15 minute presentation of their research. Abstracts of the presented papers are published in the Symposium Proceedings and the three best papers receive an Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (first place $100, second place $75, and third place $50).

The papers of eight Fisk students were selected for presentation this year and Angela Addae won the second place award for her “Conceptualizing Social Entrepreneurship: The Formation of an Ideal Type.” Ms. Addae‘s faculty advisor was Dr. Dani Allred Smith . The other Fisk presenters and the titles of their papers were: ―A Gown and A Crown for Tiana? A Comparison of Disney Princesses‖ - Ashley S. Brown; ―If It Needs to be Done, Then Do It...Should Roles Be Dependent Upon Sex Gender?‖ - Vickie Bufford; ―Prostitution in the World of Film‖ - Brittney J. Burton; ―Factors Associated with Body Image and Satisfaction‖ - Jessica K. McDowell; ―Demographic Differences in the Diagnosis of ADHD‖ - Pierre J. Moton; ―The Sociology of Gender‖- Tamika Vaughn; and ―Positive Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention: Linking Theory to Practice‖ - Candace A. Warren.

Fisk University Choir Spring Tour The Fisk University Choir performed in Georgia and Florida during its recent spring tour. Georgia performances were at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta and Clarkston First Baptist Church in Clarkston. In Florida, the choir presented concerts at New Covenant Baptist Church in Orlando and at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach. New Covenant Baptist Church was founded, in 1992, by Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy ‗69 and her husband, the Reverend Dr. Randolph Bracy, Jr., who is the pastor. Today, the church‘s membership numbers over 2,000.

The Fisk University Choir was founded in 1879, by Professor Adam K. Spence, and was known originally as the ―Mozart Society.‖ The University Choir is the oldest organization of its kind in Tennessee.

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

FACULTY IN THE LIMELIGHT: DR. ADENIKE DAVIDSON A respected scholar of women‘s studies and African American literature, Dr. Adenike Davidson is also a virtual multi-tasker, always planning, creating, and writing. Whether she is serving as the academic discipline coordinator of English or coordinating the women‘s and gender studies minor, directing the W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program or coordinating the Exceptional Scholars Program, or writing a research proposal, her latest book or a book chapter, or planning a lecture for one of her classes, Dr. Davidson is perpetually in motion. Dr. Davidson co-chaired the University‘s Reaffirmation Team for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools‘ Commission on Colleges and serves as the vice chair/chair elect of the Fisk Faculty Assembly. When one reviews all of the activities in which she is involved, the research and faculty development grants that she has been awarded, and the diverse range of publications, it makes you wonder if she ever sleeps.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Davidson completed her B.A. in English at the College of Holy Cross. She then relocated to the west coast where she earned her M.A. in Afro-American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. She returned east to study at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she completed her Ph.D. in English. Her doctoral concentrations included American literature (romance and realism), African American literature, and literary theory. Dr. Davidson taught at the University of Central Florida from 1998 until she joined the Fisk family. While at the University of Central Florida, she received the College of Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Teaching Incentive Program Award.

Since coming to Fisk in 2005, and assuming a myriad of faculty and administrative roles, the dynamic feminist has been awarded support for a number of research, faculty development, and fellowship initiatives. These include a $25,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities for ―Race: How, What and Why?‖; a $30,000 faculty research fellowship from the United Negro College Fund/Mellon Foundation; $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts/Arts Midwest for ―The Big Read: Zora Neale Hurston‖; a $5,000 Fisk University Presidential Research Award, ―Catching the Fourth Wave: Identifying, Nurturing and Mentoring the New Wave of Active Feminists‖; and $3,500 from the Teagle Foundation for ―Reclaiming Eve and Mary Magdalene: Examining Christianity and Feminism in African American Student Identity.‖ Dr. Davidson is also the recipient of two UNCF/Mellon Foundation Faculty Development and Research Seminars for summer study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa and Salvador (Bahia), Brazil where she will spend two weeks this summer in a seminar, ―Constructing Women in the African Diaspora: Identities, Culture and Power.‖ In 2006, she spent six weeks in Paris, France at a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar on ―Modernist Paris.‖ Dr. Davidson also participated in the National Humanities Center‘s Summer Institutes in Literary Studies in North Carolina and the Council of Independent Colleges/ Gilda Lehrman Institute of American History Seventh Annual Seminar on Slave Narratives at Yale University.

Dr. Davidson is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, bio-bibliographical essays, encyclopedia entries and book reviews. Her book, The Black Nation Novel: Imagining Homeplaces in Early African American Literature, analyzed how the writings of many early African-American authors, such as W.E.B. DuBois and Pauline E. Hopkins, depict certain nationalist themes that reappear in literature of the 1960s‘ Black Power movement. She shows how themes that appear in contemporary literature have roots from an earlier period. She is now at work on her second book, Blackness and Modernism in the City of Lights: New Negro and Negritude Conversations in Print. In this book, Dr. Davidson examines Negritude, an early-20th century literary movement against French colonial racism and assimilation that began among French-speaking African and Caribbean writers living in Paris. She explores how the movement was significantly influenced by the collaboration between the French colonials and the New Negro artists who traveled to Paris in the early 20th century.

These diverse experiences enable Dr. Davidson to enhance and expand the rich Fisk curriculum in English, and ensure that Fisk students are provided cutting-edge knowledge in women‘s and gender studies. In addition, her network and resources impact Fisk students by increasing the number of available opportunities for their exposure to both domestic and international education experiences.

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

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FOUNDATION PARTNER SPOTLIGHT The Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation In April of 2010, Fisk University and The Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation engaged in a partnership to establish ―The Hank Aaron Foundation 4 for 4 Endowed Partial Tuition Scholarship at Fisk University‖. The initial contribution of $104,000 included $100,000 to endow, in perpetuity, one student per year, and $4,000 to be used for a scholarship award to a student for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Subsequent contributions may be made at any time and from any source. Fisk is proud to be a recipient of the foundation‘s philanthropic commitment to education.

The foundation‘s commitment supports a returning student with no less than a 2.75 grade point average or a first-year student with a final high school grade point average of 2.75 who is enrolled as a full-time student. The student must demonstrate financial need according to Myles Carroll, first scholar of The Hank the University‘s guidelines. Preference will be given, but not limited, to Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation (1) prior participants in The Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation program for high school students, (2) students who are currently majoring in, or intend to major in areas of study that lead to public service careers as well as professions such as, but not limited to, teaching, social work, humanities, science and medicine, and (3) to returning students.

The first recipient of ―The Hank Aaron Foundation 4 for 4 Endowed Partial Tuition Scholarship at Fisk University‖ is Myles Carroll. Mr. Carroll hails from Marietta, Georgia and attended Sprayberry High School where he was a wellrounded student active in service organizations, the Honor Society, and varsity athletics. An English major, Mr. Carroll is completing his sophomore year and to date, has a 3.1 cumulative grade point average. He participates in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the men‘s basketball team. During the summer of 2010, Mr. Carroll completed an internship in broadcast journalism with CBS Radio in Atlanta, Georgia.

13th Annual Fisk University Research Symposium

Provost Princilla Evans-Morris

The 13th Annual Fisk University Research Symposium will be held on April 7, 2011, in the Appleton Room of Jubilee Hall. The objective of the symposium is to promote research and inter-disciplinary collaboration. The symposium provides an opportunity for Fisk to share the results of their recent research efforts with their peers and the university community. Students from all disciplines were required to submit their abstracts by March 14th.

The "Best Paper" will be selected in each major, for which a sufficient number of abstracts are received.

Majors may be combined within a School to create a category for the award. All posters will be evaluated by a team of judges. Poster printing will be provided with the support of CREST Research Lab, which is associated with the physics program, Department of Life and Physical Sciences.

Dr. Grazyna Walczak

The general chair of this year‘s Symposium is Provost Princilla Evans-Morris and the program chairs are Drs. Grazyna Walczak and Sajid Hussain. The Steering Committee is comprised of Vice Provost Arnold Burger, Assistant Provost W. Eugene Collins, Deans Lee E. Limbird and Reavis Mitchell, and Drs. Steven Morgan, Dani Allred Smith and Michael Watson. Ms. Gladys Truss serves as secretary.

The general public is invited to attend the Symposium.

Dr. Sajid Hussain

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ALUMNI RELATIONS

FROM DR. LINDA BROWN COLEMAN ’70 G.A.A.F.U. PRESIDENT Hello Fellow Fiskites, I would like to thank you for your support and gifts to Fisk for the 2011 fiscal year. As we prepare for our SACS response to fundraising activities, we have exceeded the $3.1 million mid-year goal for March 31, 2011. Although we have attained this benchmark, we must make every effort to reach our annual fundraising goal by June 30, 2011. This means that all constituent Photo Credit: Adrienne Taylor Latham ’68 goals must be met to ensure that we end this fiscal year in the black, which is critical to demonstrating fiscal stability to SACSCOC. As you know, our alumni fundraising goal for this year is $2 million. As of March 25th, we have reached more than a third of our annual fundraising goal ($770,288 raised). Let us continue giving at our current rate and level and we will be successful in reaching our alumni goal by June 30, 2011. If you have not given, please send your gift today. You can make a difference. Your gift will help to ensure that we end this fiscal year in the black and maintain compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) as related to fundraising.

We have increased our automatic deductions by well over our 20% goal. This represents one of the painless ways to give to Fisk, particularly on a continual basis. I am proud to report that last month, the Chicago Fisk Club increased the monthly participants by 10. Click here to download the automatic deduction form. Complete and send it today. I give a monthly unrestricted gift without having to lift a finger. Please join me.

I invite you to join fellow alumni and their guests at Reunion 2011 - April 29th to May 2nd. This year, classes ending in 1 and 6 will celebrate their anniversary years with the Class of 1986 as Silvers and the Class of 1961 as our new Goldens. As mandated by our constitution, the General Alumni Association of Fisk University, Inc. will host its annual membership meeting on Friday, April 29th, at 6 p.m. in the Clinton B. Fisk Memorial Chapel. Come and experience the energy and excitement of Reunion 2011.

I also invite you to participate in the G.A.A.F.U.’s Planning Conference, which will be held in Nassau, Bahamas on July 22-25, 2011. Registration information will be posted on the University’s website under the Office of Alumni Affairs and available at Reunion 2011. This would be a great opportunity for you to vacation with your family and become involved in the planning for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

All five regions are on-target for hosting regional conferences. The Southwest Region will host the regional conference in Houston on June 11, 2011. The Southern Region’s conference is scheduled for September 15-17, 2011, at the Peabody Hotel, hosted by the Memphis Fisk Club. The Far West, Midwest, and Eastern Region will host conferences in 2012.

Fellow alumni, we must continue to unite and renew our commitment, year-after-year, each in our own way.

Fisk Forever!

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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ALUMNI RELATIONS

Will Carter ’57 Delivers WFAA ‘”Mid-Term Goodie Bags” Photo Credit: Adrienne Taylor Latham ’68

Washington Fisk Alumni Association Sends Annual “Mid-Term Goodie Bags” to Students The Washington Fisk Alumni Association (WFAA) has been sending ―mid-term goodie‖ bags to students from the Metropolitan Washington area for more than 12 years. WFAA President Gloria Elliott ‘72 said, ―it is a way to let the students know that we are thinking about them; it is to encourage them as they study for their midterms, and also as they pause to take a break from their studies, they can rest assured that the alumni at home always have their backs!‖ President Elliott continued, ―Our recruiting committee always takes the lead on this project— Janine Smith, Celestine Shird, Maryann Rozzell and others. Will Carter usually delivers them in person. Included in the decorative bags are assorted snacks, mints, energy bars and beverages, water, pens, notepads and other essentials. This is a project that we love doing.‖ Way to go, WFAA! You are making a difference.

VOTE EVERY DAY, AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, IN HOME DEPOT’S “RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL” COMPETITION Click here to vote: http://www.retoolyourschool.com We need to be in the #2 to #11 range to win $10,000 and in the #1 spot to win $50,000.

Voting ends April 22, 2011.

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

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ALUMNI RELATIONS

ALUMNI UPDATES Vivian Marie Counts ’76 is director of the Louis Stokes South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.

Camille Colleen Crisp ’02 is an associate programmer analyst for the State of California‘s Board of Equalization in Sacramento, California. In addition, she owns Triple C Designs, which designs and maintains websites for small businesses and community organizations. She is an active with the Center of Praise Ministries, and is the treasurer for both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority‘s Sigma Delta Omega Chapter and the Literary Ladies Alliance.

Victor J. Dupuy II ’79 is senior vice president of global investment bank technology, Bank of America, in Dallas, Texas. He is a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Dupuy has been married for 28 years to LaJaynes Harris Dupuy and they are the parents of three children: Victor III, Margeaux and William.

Ashley Payne ’10, a first year law student at Emory University, was recently elected vice president for 2011-2012 of the Black Law Student Association. She is a recipient of the Black Law Student Association‘s first year scholarship for demonstrating commitment to the organization, community service, and excellence in academics. Ms. Payne will intern in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York during the summer of 2011.

Esther Pearl Roberts, M.D. ’64 was presented the Presidential Award, which is given annually to selected career members of the Senior Foreign Service, in recognition of extraordinary contributions to the State Department and diplomatic efforts in foreign affairs and service to the United States.

Dr. Roberts is the first physician and psychiatrist serving in the Medical Services Program to be honored for the development of the mental health program when she served as director in Washington, DC (1980-1983 and 19931997) and overseas missions and embassies. She retired in 2008, after 28 years of completing posts in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Since retirement, Dr. Roberts continues to work for the State Department Office of Medical Programs. As a consultant, she travels to Africa, China and the Middle East to provide psychiatric crisis intervention services to diplomats and their families. She is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.

Dr. Esther Pearl Roberts 9’64 is congratulated by The Honorable Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

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ALUMNI RELATIONS

FISKITE IN THE NEWS For Music Education ‘Giant’, Strings are Instrumental

By Carla DeFord Reprinted from Diverse Issues in Higher Education, March 3, 2011 and March 17, 2011

Dr. Kay George Roberts ’72 University of Massachusetts at Lowell Music Professor

The year is 2000, and a study by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) warns of a shortage of stringed instrument teachers nationwide. In Massachusetts the situation is exacerbated by Proposition 2½, which capped property taxes and decreased school revenues. Many districts in the state reacted by cutting programs in the arts, causing prospective teachers to avoid careers in music education.

Enter University of Massachusetts Lowell music professor Kay George Roberts. As an accomplished violinist as well as the first woman and second African-American to earn a doctorate in orchestral conducting from Yale University, Roberts considered the ASTA study a professional call to arms. The result was her decade-long crusade to bring high-quality, lowcost music education to the children of Lowell, one of the most diverse cities in Massachusetts.

After learning that ASTA was offering grants to create string programs, Roberts jumped into the highly competitive process. ―We are the only center in Massachusetts of the National String Project Consortium,‖ she says. William T. Hogan, then chancellor of UML, immediately matched the grant with $10,000 per year. Funding also has come from the Parker Foundation, ARTWorks for Kids and individuals and businesses in the Lowell community. ―I founded the UML String Project because I experienced first-hand how important early exposure to music is for a child,‖ Roberts says. ―Without it, I would never have pursued a musical career.‖ Roberts, who grew up in segregated Nashville, Tenn., vividly remembers how she began her violin studies. As she tells it, her elementary school music teacher, Robert L. Holmes Jr., approached the superintendent with a plan to teach public school students to play stringed instruments but was told that Blacks were incapable of learning such a complicated skill.

Unfazed, Holmes defied his boss‘s expectations by founding the Cremona Strings, an all-Black classical ensemble in which Roberts participated. It was a formative experience, and years later she set out to re-create it for a new generation of students.

Today, more than 100 students are enrolled in the UML String Project. They include 50 third and fourth graders in the Prelude Strings, 30 fourth and fifth graders in the Overture Ensemble and 21 sixth to eighth graders in the String Sinfonia.

Additionally, 20 high school students, all of whom started with the String Project when they were in elementary school, participate in the Lowell Youth Orchestra, which Roberts founded to offer advanced ensemble training.

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

ADVANCEMENT & FUND RAISING

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FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Dear Alumni and Friends, Thank you for your wonderful support of Fisk University. I am pleased to report that the University has met and surpassed its ambitious March 31 midyear fundraising goal of $3.1 million with a total of $3.509 million booked at the close of business on March 31. As indicated by the Month to Month Cumulative Chart on the next page, Fisk‘s current year efforts exceeded the March 2010 performance of $1.96 million by 80 percent and outpaced the March 2009 performance of $3.34 million by 5 percent. You will also be pleased to know that the current year performance exceeded the total FY 2010 fundraising revenue of $ 3.13 million by 12 percent.

To date, Fisk has a 44 percent increase in its overall donor base compared to this time last year (March 31, 2010 - 1,227 donors versus March 31, 2011- 1,765 donors); and experienced a 22 percent increase in its alumni donor base compared to this time last year (March 31, 2010 - 882 alumni donors compared to March 31, 2011– 1,074 alumni donors). Alumni participation more than doubled during the month of March compared to February, with the overwhelming support of the alumni helping Fisk reach the $3.1 million goal to demonstrate significant fundraising progress the to Southern Association of Colleges and Schools‘ Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) .

In analyzing our sources of funding, we find impressive increases over last year‘s recession-impacted fundraising performance. In addition to a 67 percent increase in dollars given by alumni ($507,648 in FY10 compared to $848,112 in FY 11), giving in every constituency designation increased. Most notable is a 481 percent jump in non-alumni donor gifts ($98,156 in FY 10 compared to $570,489 in FY 11), a 64 percent increase in giving by the Trustees ($405,105 in FY 10 compared to $663,839 in FY 11) and a 73 percent increase in giving from Civic, Social and Religious Organizations ($242,702 in FY 10 compared to $419,369 in FY 11). Foundation giving is up 63 percent ($419,639 in FY 10 compared to $684,675 in FY 11) and corporate giving has increased 13 percent ($285,438 in FY 10 versus $322,699 in FY 11). Over 52 percent of Fisk‘s faculty and staff have donated. This is the largest percentage of giving by this constituent group in ten years.

I hope that you share my enthusiasm for this great display of support of Fisk. We cannot, however, rest on our laurels. Your support has been a source of great encouragement for our faculty, staff and students. We must now turn our efforts to reaching the June 30 annual giving goal of $8.4 million. I sincerely believe we can do it.

If you have not given, please send your gift today. Your support has made such a difference. Your gift will help to ensure that we maintain compliance with SACSCOC by meeting our fiscal year goal and ending the fiscal year in the black.

Again, thank you for your continued support of our students, faculty, and staff. Working collaboratively, we will ensure that Fisk University flourishes and continues its legacy of excellence.

Sincerely, Shirley Q. Range

VOTE EVERY DAY, AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, IN HOME DEPOT’S “RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL” COMPETITION Click here to vote: http://www.retoolyourschool.com

Have you sent a gift today? Click here to donate online OR phone (615) 329-8710 OR email supportfisk@fisk.edu.

ADVANCEMENT & FUND RAISING

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Source: Office of Institutional Advancement March 31, 2011

March 31, 2011 Mid-Year Goal - $3,100,000 EXCEEDED MID-YEAR GOAL BY $409,183 June 30, 2011 Goal - $8,400,000 $3,509,183 or 42% Raised as of March 31, 2011 Need to Raise $4,890,817 by June 30, 2011

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Cultivating Scholars & Leaders One by One

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EVENTS FISK UNIVERSITY

Office of Institutional Advancement 1000 17th Avenue North Nashville, TN 37208 (615) 329-8530 - Telephone (615) 329-8627 - Facsimile

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Nashville, TN. Thursday, March 24-Sunday, March 27, 2011. 82nd Annual Spring Arts Festival. Fisk University. Thursday, March 24, Aaron Douglas Art Gallery, third floor of the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library. Opening of “See No Art, Hear No Art, Speak No Art” Student Art Exhibit. Featured student artists and curators are Bobby Bracks, Hunter Sims, Morgan Woods, Velshannae Haynes, Michael Ewing and William Kirkpatrick. Friday, March 25, 4:00 p.m., Carl Van Vechten Gallery. Opening of “Collecting is Our Legacy: The Wilson-Thompson Collection.” The collection’s 48 works include paintings, prints and sculptures by 21 African-American artists including Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence. Friday, March 25, 6:00 p.m., Clinton B. Fisk Memorial Chapel. Fisk Jubilee Singers® Concert. Saturday, March 26, 3:00 p.m., Carl Van Vechten Gallery. “Collecting is Our Legacy: The Wilson-Thompson Collection.” Admission: $10 for persons aged 18 to 60, seniors $6, and free for Fisk students, faculty and staff and youth under 18. Saturday, March 26, 6:00 p.m., The Little Theatre. Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.” Founded in 1930, the Fisk Stagecrafters are celebrating their 81st anniversary. Admission is $10 at the door for adults; free for Fisk students with a student I.D. Sunday, March 27, 3:00 p.m., The Little Theatre. Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.” Admission is $10 at the door for adults; free for Fisk students with a student I.D. Sunday, March 27, 4:00 p.m., Clinton B. Fisk Memorial Chapel. 90th Birthday Celebration and Musical Extravaganza for Professor Emeritus Matthew Kennedy. Reception following event in the Appleton Room of Jubilee Hall.

Nashville, TN. Wednesday, April 7, 2011. 13th Annual Fisk University Research Symposium. Appleton Room of Jubilee Hall.

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Nashville, TN. Friday, April 29-Monday, May 2, 2011. Reunion Weekend. Fisk University. The Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, 2100 West End Avenue, is the Official Headquarters Hotel for the 2011 Fisk Alumni Reunion. A block of rooms has been reserved for Fisk Alumni. The special group rate is $185 (single and double); $205(Triple); $225 (Quad) and will be effective until April 1, 2011.

The availability of rooms is on first come, first served basis. Be sure to indicate you are ―Fisk Alumni‖ to obtain special rates. Key events listed below. Friday, April 29, Alumni & Friends Authors’ Panel, 4:00 pm, Franklin Library Friday, April 29, 11:45 p.m., Midnight Cruise, General Jackson Showboat Saturday, April 30, Silver Sons & Daughters Luncheon, 12 noon, Spence Hall Saturday, April 30, 8:00 p.m., Gala Banquet, Loews Vanderbilt Sunday, May 1, 10:00 a.m., Baccalaureate Service, Fisk Memorial Chapel Sunday, May 1, Immediately Following Baccalaureate Service, President’s Reception, The Campus Grove Sunday, May 1, 12 noon, Golden Sons and Daughters Luncheon, Appleton Room Sunday, May 1, 7:30 p.m., Fisk Jubilee Singers® Concert, Fisk Memorial Chapel Monday, May 2, 10:00 a.m., Commencement Speakers: Alma V. Johnson Powell ’57, Chair, America’s Promise Alliance and The Honorable Corey Anthony Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ Houston, TX. Saturday, June 11, 2011. G.A.A.F.U. Southwest Regional Conference Nassau, Bahamas. Friday, July 22-Monday, July 25, 2011. G.A.A.F.U. Planning Conference.

Memphis, TN. Friday, September 15– Sunday, September 17, 2011. G.A.A.F.U. Southern Regional Conference, Peabody Hotel.

Nashville, TN. Thursday, October 6, 2011, 10:00 a.m. Jubilee Day. Clinton B. Fisk Memorial Chapel.

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