Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis joined nine other alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on Friday, September 23, as they were inducted in the Hall of Fame. Artis currently is president and CEO at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, a role she has been in since 2017. Artis is Benedict College’s 14th and first female president. She had previously been the 13th and first woman president of Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Artis earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from West Virginia Stste University
She holds a Juris Doctorate from West Virginia University’s College of Law and a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges. She is the Chair of the Presidents’ Advisory Board for Title III Administrators; a member of the President’s Council for NCAA Division II; and is a member of the Educational Testing Service Presidents’ Advisory Council. Artis sits on many other boards and has been named an “Equity in Energy Ambassador” for the United States Department of Energy.“
Under Artis’ leadership, Benedict College was awarded the 2019 American Council on Education (ACE) Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation. The award recognizes institutions that have responded to higher education challenges in innovative and creative ways and achieved dramatic results in a short period of time.
In 2018, Artis was named Female HBCU President of the Year by HBCU Digest. In 2019, she was named to Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s Top 35 Leading Women in Higher Education. Then, in 2020, Artis was named President of the Year by Higher Ed Dive for her leadership in navigating the unprecedented challenges of that year.
In 2021, Artis was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). NACIQI advises the U.S. Secretary of Education on matters concerning accreditation, the Secretary’s recognition process for accrediting agencies, and institutional eligibility for federal student aid, through the Committee’s public meetings.Artis is the founding Co-Chair for the HBCU Annual Sustainability Summit, which is in its fourth year.
In addition to all of her accomplishments, Artis is a speaker, mentor, lecturer, advocate for educational access, and catalyst for strategic transformation.
The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. hosted its annual induction ceremony on Friday, September 23, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.