NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Fisk University president Hazel O'Leary said she plans to continue helping the financially embattled institution after her retirement.
"I have always been a generous donor to Fisk and I intend to continue to do that and I will also help with fundraising for the campaign," said O'Leary.
In May the University is scheduled to release a 5-year comprehensive campaign.
O'Leary, 74, spoke to reporters on Tuesday after announcing late last week that she's retiring in December after serving eight years.
During her tenure at the university, O'Leary has helped raise more than $5 million annually in donations, the largest of any Historically Black College and University, HBCU.
For at least two years, she has been involved in a legal battle over whether the historically black university can sell a $30 million stake in an art collection donated to the school by the late American artist Georgia O'Keeffe to handle its financial needs.
"The regret is that case, 'the case' is how is addressed here on the campus, obliterates any good news about Fisk there could possibly be," said O'Leary.
The president goes on to say, "There is no joy greater than working with these young people, touching their lives and making a difference for them."
O'Leary graduated from Fisk in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in history and economics before earning a law degree in 1966 from Rutgers University Law School.
O'Leary says she plans to retire at a home in South Carolina and spend a lot of time scuba diving.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
