NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Lee and members of the Tennessee Cabinet recently visited Fisk University for a cabinet meeting as the historic North Nashville university faces continued controversy over plans to build a data center on its campus.
Fisk hosted the cabinet meeting and provided Lee and cabinet members with a tour of the university’s historic campus, where they learned about Fisk’s legacy and ongoing work. During the visit, Lee presented Fisk President Agenia Walker Clark with a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing her leadership and service.
The visit comes as Fisk continues to face opposition to a proposed 70,000-square-foot data center that would be part of the university’s ambitious “Quantum Leap” campus redevelopment plan.
Announced in May, the plan calls for a major investment in the private historically Black university over the next decade, including renovations to residence halls, new academic and student facilities and an Innovation and Technology Center. The proposed 100,000-square-foot center would include 30,000 square feet of academic space and 70,000 square feet dedicated to data infrastructure.
The data center proposal has drawn opposition from some Fisk alumni, students and North Nashville residents, as well as state Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, a Fisk alumnus. Critics have raised concerns about potential environmental impacts, noise and the use of water and electricity. A petition opposing the project has attracted thousands of signatures.
Clark has defended the proposal, arguing that Fisk must find innovative ways to strengthen the university and prepare for the future.
“Higher ed is in a different place right now, and the challenges that we’re up against are some we’ve never experienced before,” Clark told ABC News earlier this month. “We’ve got to be innovative, visionary and figure out what it looks like to go forward.”
Clark said the Innovation and Technology Center is part of a larger vision that includes improvements to residence halls and other campus facilities and would help strengthen Fisk’s curriculum. She has also said the university is still evaluating details of the proposed data center and looking for a development partner.
Fisk University released a white paper Wednesday outlining the academic benefits it says would come from its proposed on-campus data center. The paper provides new details about how students and faculty could use the facility while addressing environmental and community concerns that have fueled opposition to the project.
