Dr. Roslyn C. Artis also Discusses Future of HBCUs and the 150-year Legacy of Benedict College on The Breakfast Club
Columbia, SC – March 19, 2020– During an interview recorded last week on the popular iHeart morning show The Breakfast Club, Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis fielded questions about the future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the 150-year history of Benedict College, and due to timing of the interview, the coronavirus. In response, the President and CEO of Benedict College outlines the digital and financial divide presented as a result of the now global pandemic.
When one of the hosts of the radio show asked about the impact of college students evacuating college campuses across the nation, the President of Benedict College responded that “…The timing is a challenge, what we are trying to think through this carefully…many of our students are first-generation, low-wealth students of color and cannot buy a place ticket on 24hrs notice…” explained Dr. Artis “…many of our students are place-bound and financially constrained. Many schools are going 100 online… I have to think about many of our students that don’t have laptops and may not have WiFi at home…the digital divide is real.”
This week as issues continue to emerge regarding the impact of response to the spread of the coronavirus educators and policy makers have been focused on many of the issues raised by Artis during the interview, specifically how to provide support to under resourced and distressed communities and citizens in the United States.
Dr. Artis’ also discussed the future of HBCUs and efforts undertaken by the college under her leadership to revise the academic curriculum to realign academic programs to relevant high-demand industry jobs. The President also had an opportunity to discuss Benedict’s new Student Innovation Hub located in the College’s Business Development Center. “The goal is not just to teach them how to get a job, but to create jobs and reinvest in our communities,” commented Dr. Artis. “I am excited about the work we are doing around entrepreneurship.”
Reflecting on the contributions of Benedict College for over 150-years, and taking the opportunity to laud the Benedict College alumni for their consecutive efforts to raise over $1million. While proud of this and other efforts about the college, Dr. Artis expounds on the importance of collaboration and unity in the HBCU community of colleges and universities, “When one HBCU wins, we all win.,” said Dr. Artis. The President takes time to call-out HBCUs like South Carolina State and Morehouse College emphasizing that successes at one college are “important for the entire HBCU sector.”
“However, it is important to not overlook the contributions of the other 95…” Dr. Artis, advises. Such as Benedict College Alumnus Septima Clark, the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, as named by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “…Clark traveled to Oswald with Dr. King when he received the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The show aired on Power 105.1 FM – New York’s Hip-Hop and R&B station at 9:30 on March 18, 2020. A recording of the interview is available on The Breakfast Club’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmuwE64J2jI&app=desktop
You Tube link to watch the radio show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmuwE64J2jI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR26DEHTGb6Vw4z2IS6-77wv7yOo475uXC_TcSkGLeicnHhMHlBxTwZOd8E
About The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club (https://power1051.iheart.com/featured/breakfast-club/) is a four and a half hour morning show featuring DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God’s unrivaled interviews with celebrities and hip-hop artists. From megastars like Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Arnold Schwarzenegger to rap icons such as Rick Ross, Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane, every guest visiting The Breakfast Club is grilled with their signature blend of honesty and humor. The results are the best interviews to be found on radio.
About Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution with over 2,100 students enrolled in its 25 baccalaureate degree programs. Defying trends, Benedict College maintains an equal male and female student population. This 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 of which 80 percent are full-time, and 60 percent hold doctorates or the equivalent.
Over the past ten years, three out of five Benedict College graduates have attended professional or graduate schools. There are over 17,000 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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