Fisk University, the 160-year-old historically Black institution that educated civil rights icons John Lewis and Ida B. Wells, has unveiled a sweeping $900 million plan to overhaul its North Nashville campus, headlined by a 100,000-square-foot data and technology center that comes as public opposition to such facilities is on the rise.
President Agenia Clark announced the initiative, dubbed Quantum Leap, on May 15 at the university’s Jubilee Hall, flanked by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, state and local lawmakers, faculty, students, and business and philanthropic executives. “Every single piece of this master plan has a different financial model to it,” Clark said, describing a mix of fundraising and partnerships that remain largely unspecified. She added, “There will be fundraising. I can assure you that.”
The scope of the project extends far beyond the data center. The plan includes renovating three residence halls and erecting at least five major new buildings: the data and technology center, an annex to the John Lewis Center for Social Justice, a 120,000-square-foot sports arena, a 45,000-square-foot student center, and an 80,000-square-foot annex to the Carl Van Vechten Gallery. Fisk is submitting the proposal to Nashville’s Metro government for approval.
The data center element arrives at a moment of fierce national debate. A new Gallup poll found that more than 70 percent of Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their own communities, citing worries over air and water quality, strain on electrical infrastructure, and noise. Clark sought to preempt local resistance by invoking a medical ethic: “The theme of the project is ‘do no harm.’ If, along the way, we had identified instances where a project of this nature would do harm, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Don Hardin, owner of project management firm Don Hardin Group and a partner on the Fisk plan, said his team studied data centers nationwide “because we want to make sure we do it right.” He told reporters that Nashville Electric Service has assured him the local grid can handle the center’s electricity load without increasing residential bills. The 30-megawatt facility, Hardin added, “is fairly small” by industry standards. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we answer questions, make the campus feel comfortable, students feel comfortable, and the community feels really good about what we’re doing in terms of noise mitigation, water consumption, and energy usage,” he said.
Clark said the data center “will adhere to environmental standards, taking advantage of the most current technologies, that will not affect the quality of life for the residents of (ZIP code) 37208.” She declined to say whether Fisk has a partner for the data center, noting she is “not in a position to talk about that today.”
Financing for the overall plan remains murky. Clark said each component carries a distinct financial model, and Hardin confirmed there is a priority list with construction starting “as opportunities come about.” The annex at the John Lewis Center is likely to break ground first and could be finished within two years. The data center itself is not expected to generate enough revenue to fund the other projects.
“We look forward to being a vibrant partner to the state, to the city, and more importantly to you, as we strive to assure that Fisk’s history is here to stay, but its future is also an integral part of the city’s next decades,” Clark said.