Thursday, November 11, 2010

"Let me say this clearly for the record: the Board of Trustees is fully committed to President O'Leary's leadership of Fisk University."

In response to calls for her ouster, the President of Fisk's board of trustees released a statement defending her record:

"For those upset by the fact that Fisk runs an almost $2 million annual budget deficit, he pointed out that the deficit has improved — it topped $10 million in 2006. He also noted that the school's debt has dropped by $1.4 million.

"For those who criticize O'Leary's fundraising skills — she has raised $26 million for the university in six years — he said the $4.3 million she raises each year is better than the national average for historically black colleges."