Fisk University's Risk Management Institute Receives $2.5 Million Donation

Patrick Phillips, CEO of R.I.S.E. Opportunity FoundationFisk University’s developing Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Risk Management Institute has received a $2.5 million donation from R.I.S.E. Opportunity Foundation. The Institute will create a pipeline of Fisk students into the insurance industry.

R.I.S.E. is a private foundation aimed to increase diversity in risk management and insurance. Patrick Philips, CEO of R.I.S.E., said that Fisk’s new institute offers “a bold and innovative approach to addressing a need within the insurance industry, and the foundational gift will include faculty, student, and programmatic support.”

The Institute will offer risk management and actuarial sciences courses, as well as leadership programming led by executives already in the industry. Fisk President Dr. Vann Newkirk said that he is excited about the work the Institute will do.

“Fisk has positioned itself as a leading institution in terms of the next generation of c-suite executives and business leaders, and our students are continually looking for opportunities,” said Newkirk.