| Roslyn Clark Artis | |
| Birth Date: | 16 June 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Office1: | President of Benedict College |
| Term Start1: | September 1, 2017 |
| Predecessor1: | David Swinton |
| Office2: | President of Florida Memorial University |
| Term Start2: | 2013 |
| Term End2: | September 1, 2017 |
| Term Start3: | 2011 |
| Term End3: | 2013 |
Roslyn Clark Artis (born June 16, 1970) is the 14th president of Benedict College and the first woman to hold the position.[1] She holds the additional distinction of being the first female president of Florida Memorial University.[2] She is also educational advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, serves on the board of directors of the United Negro College Fund and the Council of Independent Colleges,[3] and serves as co-chair for the United Way of the Midlands Campaign.[4]
Artis was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Robert M. Clark and Christine E. Clark[5] and was raised in southern West Virginia. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1988.[5]
Artis received a scholarship to attend West Virginia State University, earning a B.A. in Political Science in 1991. She then earned her Juris Doctor from West Virginia University College of Law and her doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.[1] [6] She holds a Certificate of Fundraising Management from Indiana University and a Certificate of Mastery in Prior Learning Assessment from DePaul University.[1]
Artis practiced law for ten years with the firms Brown & Levicoff PLLC and The Wooton Law Firm.[7] When a friend asked her to teach courses as an adjunct professor, Artis acquiesced despite lack of experience in education. She found her passion in the field and returned to school to earn a doctorate so as to pursue the path in-depth and full-time. Leaving behind six years part-time classroom teaching, Artis graduated to the position of director of Mountain State University's legal studies program.[7] Next, she served as Senior Academic Officer for Distance Education, a post in which she oversaw the university's independent study and online programs. She also managed the school's Orlando, Florida and Center Township, Pennsylvania campuses.[7]
Artis was named chief academic officer at Mountain State University in September 2010, a post in which she was responsible for "all curricular and programmatic academic decisions regardless of the campus or modality."[7] Artis was serving as provost at Mountain State University in 2012, a position she began in 2011, when the university lost its accreditation.[8] The following year, Artis transitioned to the position of president of Florida Memorial College.[6] There, she oversaw the implementation of new technology, construction of new facilities, and resource development in STEM, cybersecurity, and social justice.[3]
In 2017, Artis assumed the position of president at Benedict College, where she lowered tuition by 26%[9] and launched the HBCU Sustainability Summit.[10]
In 2020, Artis helped open Benedict College's Women’s Business Center, making the college one of only two historically black universities in the United States to house a business center dedicated to advancing women in business.[11] [12]
Artis is married to Selby Artis, a retired United States Army officer, businessman, and contractor with the United States Department of Agriculture.[13] The couple has three children, Christopher, Jayden, and Jocelyn.[14]
In 2017, while applying for the position of President at Jackson State University, several noteworthy past incidents came to light:
In 2019, during her current tenure as President of Benedict College, the school was placed on Probation with Good Cause by the accreditation board SACSCOC after struggling to overcome years of financial instability (prior to Artis' arrival) and failing to meet its requirements on financial responsibility. The school was released from Probation and restored to good standing a year later.
| Date | Outlet | Format | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2020 | The Breakfast Club[21] | Radio/YouTube video | self | |
| Nov. 12, 2019 | Sister Circle[22] | Radio/YouTube video | self | |
| May 15, 2018 | Pecan Pie[23] | YouTube series | self |