EDUCATOR. INSTITUTION BUILDER. ADVOCATE.

Build what
matters.Leave more
possible.

Strengthening institutions. Expanding opportunity. Preparing the next generation to lead.

Meet Dr. Artis

DR. ROSLYN CLARK ARTISJ.D., ED.D.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis in an ivory suit, smiling, against warm stone.

President & CEO, Benedict College
Higher Ed Dive · President of the Year 2020
Co-editor · The HBCU Sisterhood

01 / THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WORK

The title tells you where she leads.
The work tells you why.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis wearing a navy suit in a library setting.

A lawyer by training. An educator by conviction. A leader who understands that opportunity has to be built.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis has served as the first woman president of both Florida Memorial University and Benedict College. Her career brings together institutional leadership, advocacy and a deeply practical commitment to student success.

From West Virginia to the college presidency, her story is one of expanding the reach of her advocacy: from representing people to shaping the institutions that serve them.

Read her leadership biography

Dr. Artis earned a B.A. in political science from West Virginia State University, a J.D. from West Virginia University and an Ed.D. in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University.

After practicing law, she moved into higher education, serving in academic and executive leadership at Mountain State University. She became interim president of Florida Memorial in 2013 and its permanent president in 2014. In 2017, she was appointed Benedict College’s 14th president and the first woman to hold the role.

Her public work addresses affordability, institutional transformation, mentorship, and the enduring value of historically Black colleges and universities.

Explore her UNCF profile

02 / THE DISTANCE TRAVELED

Progress with
people at the center.

The record reflects the work of a leader and the communities, colleagues and partners moving forward with her.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis in an ivory suit, standing in front of stone columns and dark wood.

2017

A historic appointment.

Appointed the 14th and first woman president of Benedict College.

Read the record

26%

Access made tangible.

Benedict’s reported 2018 tuition reduction made affordability an institutional priority.

Explore the transformation

2020

Leadership in a crisis.

Named Higher Ed Dive’s President of the Year for her response to the pandemic.

Read the recognition

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis seated in an armchair, speaking with a microphone, wearing a white dress, in front of a garden. — LEADERSHIP / WITH INTENTION

03 / A PHILOSOPHY IN PRACTICE

Informed.
Decisive.
Intentionally
empathetic.

Listen closely. Understand the barrier. Make the decision. Her public perspective connects the discipline of leadership with the realities of the people it serves.

Access is more than admission.

Tuition is only one part of the equation. Technology, housing, emergency needs and a sense of belonging shape a student’s ability to persist.

Empathy and expectations belong together.

Understanding a person’s circumstances makes accountability more thoughtful and support more effective.

Leadership should prepare other leaders.

Mentorship and shared knowledge help the next generation navigate responsibilities that no title alone can prepare them to carry.

ON COURAGE & LEADERSHIP

“be careful, prayerful
but never fearful.”
Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis · United Way, 2023

04 / IDEAS THAT TRAVEL

The perspective.
Beyond the podium.

Writing and conversations on access, leadership and the responsibility to create opportunity.

THE BOOK / CO-EDITED WITH ALLIA L. CARTER

The HBCU Sisterhood: Testimonies of Triumph and Transformation, edited by Roslyn Clark Artis and Allia L. Carter.

Women’s leadership. In their own words.Explore the book

EDUCAUSE / INTERVIEW

The persistent value
of an HBCU education.

A conversation about access, hidden costs and what students need to thrive.

Read the interview

UNCF / PERSPECTIVE

Invest before
the crisis.

The case for sustained investment in young Black men and their futures.

Read her perspective

05 / SPEAKING & MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION

Bring the real
questions.
Move the
conversation.

For boards, educational institutions, leadership gatherings and communities exploring what it takes to build lasting progress.

CONVERSATION THEMES

01Leading through constraint

Decisions, resourcefulness and accountability when the work matters and resources are limited.

02The real cost of access

Looking beyond admission to the systems and support that help students succeed.

03Preparing the next woman to lead

Mentorship, institutional knowledge and the responsibility of creating a path for others.

04The distance traveled

Understanding transformation through its starting conditions, difficult decisions and collective progress.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis in purple doctoral regalia with a chain of office.

THE WORK CONTINUES.

Build the institution.
Prepare the next leader.

Explore the conversation

Build what matters.Leave more possible.

The title tells you where she leads. The work tells you why.

Progress with people at the center.

A historic appointment.

Access made tangible.

Leadership in a crisis.

Informed. Decisive. Intentionally empathetic.

The perspective. Beyond the podium.

The persistent value of an HBCU education.

Invest before the crisis.

Bring the real questions. Move the conversation.

Build the institution. Prepare the next leader.