Mr. Koon is a 2013 Graduate of Benedict College
Today, Benedict College announced Mr. Jacob Koon’s promotion from the Director of Residential Life to the new Dean of Students. Over the years, Koon has served in many roles to include Residential Life Coordinator, Area Coordinator, and Assistant Director of Residential Life.
“I congratulate Mr. Koon on his promotion to our Dean of Students, said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “During his tenure as the Director of Residential Life, he focused on student development and implemented several training programs for the Residential Life staff. His leadership on campus represents the BEST of BC!”
Koon’s motto is, “Education begins at home.” With that idea in mind, he developed several co-curricular activities to ensure a holistic experience for students residing in campus housing. He also created training sessions to increase the Residential Life staff’s understanding of student transition on all levels from high school to first-year students, from freshman to upperclassman, and from upperclassman to life after college.
“Returning to my Alma Mater and seeing the institution evolve has been a great experience, said Koon. “Dr. Artis, the 14th President and CEO of the Benedict College, has demonstrated that she is a Transformational Leader, and she inspires others to do the same across the campus. Her footsteps are marking grounds unseen.”
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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.
