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Benedict College Names Dr. Verna Orr Special Assistant for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

Benedict College announced today the appointment of Dr. Verna Orr as the Special Assistant for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.  Dr. Orr is known as a passionate, equity-minded strategic leader with a track record of managing multiple and competing projects. She also specializes in inspiring teams and organizations to deliver exceptional operational results.

“Dr. Orr is a well-respected researcher on the assessment, accountability, and student learning outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. Additionally, she has championed improving services to faculty and students while strengthening processes and practices. She is a welcomed addition to the Benedict Family.”

Dr. Orr Headshots Final 4699 webDr. Orr is a Fellow at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment where she completed a Post-Doctoral Research appointment. She earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also a three-time graduate of Howard University where she earned a Bachelor of Music Education, a Master of Education, and a Doctorate of Educational Policy and Administration.

“I am excited about supporting President Artis as she continues to blaze trails within and around higher education spaces, especially for Benedict College, said Dr. Orr. It is thrilling to serve a well-positioned institution that is ready to provide evidence of the skills, attributes, and knowledge our students and alumni who are The BEST of BC!”

Dr. Orr is a former teacher and administrator in Washington, DC public schools and served as Confidential Assistant to the 16th President of Howard University. She is the co-founder of the HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance, whose mission is to demonstrate the effectiveness of HBCUs through the use of best practices in assessment and evaluation.

About Benedict College

Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 25 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world. 

Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty. 

Over the past ten years, three out of five Benedict College graduates have attended professional or graduate schools. There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree. 

The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education. 

Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications.  For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.  In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest

Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and masters degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work, Environmental Health Science, Arts and Sciences and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship. 

                                                                                             ###

Benedict College announced today the appointment of Dr. Verna Orr as the Special Assistant for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.  Dr. Orr is known as a passionate, equity-minded strategic leader with a track record of managing multiple and competing projects. She also specializes in inspiring teams and organizations to deliver exceptional operational results.

“Dr. Orr is a well-respected researcher on the assessment, accountability, and student learning outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. Additionally, she has championed improving services to faculty and students while strengthening processes and practices. She is a welcomed addition to the Benedict Family.”

Dr. Orr is a Fellow at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment where she completed a Post-Doctoral Research appointment. She earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also a three-time graduate of Howard University where she earned a Bachelor of Music Education, a Master of Education, and a Doctorate of Educational Policy and Administration.

“I am excited about supporting President Artis as she continues to blaze trails within and around higher education spaces, especially for Benedict College, said Dr. Orr. It is thrilling to serve a well-positioned institution that is ready to provide evidence of the skills, attributes, and knowledge our students and alumni who are The BEST of BC!”

Dr. Orr is a former teacher and administrator in Washington, DC public schools and served as Confidential Assistant to the 16th President of Howard University. She is the co-founder of the HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance, whose mission is to demonstrate the effectiveness of HBCUs through the use of best practices in assessment and evaluation.

About Benedict College

Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 25 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world. 

Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty. 

Over the past ten years, three out of five Benedict College graduates have attended professional or graduate schools. There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree. 

The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education. 

Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications.  For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.  In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest

Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and masters degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work, Environmental Health Science, Arts and Sciences and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship. 

                                                                                             ###

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