NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dr. Warrick L. Carter, a Tennessee State University graduate and former president of Columbia College Chicago, has died at age 75.
He died July 15 at his residence in Sanford, Florida, after a brief illness, according to a release from his family.
Carter was born on May 6, 1942 in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1964, he received a bachelor of science degree in music education from Tennessee State University. He pursued advanced studies in percussion at the Blair Academy of Music in Nashville. Carter later went on to earn a master’s degree in music and a Ph.D. in music education from Michigan State University.
A music educator, composer and performer, Carter’s career spans six decades, including 13 years as president of Columbia College, an independent, non-profit liberal arts college specializing in arts and media disciplines. Prior to that, he served as assistant professor and director of bands at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; professor of music and chairman of fine arts at Governors State University; and dean of faculty and provost/vice president of academic affairs at Berklee School of Music.
An avid musician, Carter’s projects included works with the Wisconsin Music Educators, the Michigan Council for the Arts, the Philadelphia Public Schools, the Los Angeles Board of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Minister of Culture, Paris, France. Carter also worked at Walt Disney Entertainment in Orlando, Florida, for four years as a director of entertainment arts.
Carter was married to Laurel Carter. The couple had one daughter.
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With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
