Life
Hazel O’Leary to step down as Fisk University President
Hazel O’Leary. PHOTO/Wikipedia
Fisk University President Hazel O’Leary announced February 17 plans to retire at the end of the year, falling short of her stated goal of reversing the financial dilemma facing the 146 year-old Black university.
Her announcement comes as the institution’s status among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has stabilized but remains far from the goal of financial security she set when she took the helm eight years ago and is enmeshed in an accreditation struggle and a legal fight over a plan to raise cash by selling high-priced assets.
The university, rated 135th in Forbes Magazine’s America’s Best Colleges and Universities in 2011, reported 46 percent of its students were accepted into graduate and professional programs in 2011, according to the Nashville Tennessean.
“The public record indicates that Fisk has achieved top tier performance among liberal arts institutions in academics, student retention and engagement,” she said in her statement.
O’Leary served in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton where she was the first Black and first woman to serve as energy secretary. She is a 1959 Fisk graduate.
