Dr. John L. Smith, Jr
president, fisk university
Dr. John L. Smith Jr.
In March of 1999, John L. Smith became president of Fisk University, a predominantly African American institution in Nashville, Tennessee. Fisk is one of the oldest, and most prestigious, of the historically black universities, having been founded as a school to educate former slaves in 1866. Among its first alumni were W.E.B. DuBois, social critic and cofounder of the NAACP. The university is also famous for its singing group, the Jubilee Singers, who, beginning in 1871, introduced much of the world to the spiritual as a musical genre. In 1998, Fisk had 825 students. Before his appointment as president of Fisk, Smith was a professor and administrator at the University of South Florida in Tampa for more than 26 years. Smith, a musician by training, served for 15 years in various management positions in the College of Fine Arts, including dean, assistant dean and assistant department chair. “The school’s choice [for president], John L. Smith Jr., might seem an odd one at first glance,”Monique Fields wrote in the Tennessean. “Smith comes to Fisk from a large public institution, the predominantly white University of South Florida.” Nevertheless, his appointment as president was well-received by Fisk’s faculty and students, who both gave Smith a standing ovation when the appointment was announced. “While the contrasts are evident, Smith seems a good fit at Fisk …,” Fields wrote in the Tennesean. “The university needs a fundraiser and a solid administrator.” In the early years of his career, Smith taught at University of Missouri-Kansas City, Oklahoma City University, and Langston University in Oklahoma. He also achieved recognition as a gifted tubist, performing with orchestras in Florida and Oklahoma. “John L. Smith Jr. brings excellent qualities to his new position as president of Fisk University,” the editorial board of theTennessean wrote. “… Smith’s background in music and the fine arts matches him perfectly to an institution that began with the strong voices of its choir. That’s called harmony.”
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