Professor A. K. Spence was the second principal of Fisk School (later University) in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1870 until 1875. He was born in Scotland but lived most of his life in America. Before coming to Fisk, he taught Greek and French at Michigan University in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was brought to Fisk to bring the "college idea" to the school, which was founded by the American Missionary Association and the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865. He was greatly interested in music and for 11 years led the Mozart Society at Fisk. He also served in various administrative capacities at Fisk University once a new president was appointed in 1875 until his death in 1900.

Professor John Wesley Work was a product of Fisk University, having graduated in 1895. He taught public school in Tullahoma, Tennessee, after graduation and studied one year at Harvard University. He received a Master of Arts degree in Latin and Greek from Fisk in 1898. In 1900, he became director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He also was a professor of Latin from 1906 to 1923. Professor Work's greatest contribution at Fisk was his research and writing about Negro folk music. He published collections of folk songs and served as advisor to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He and his brother, Frederick J. Work, became leaders in the movement to preserve, study, and perform Negro spirituals. In 1923, John Work was called to the presidency of Roger Williams University.