Columbia, SC -September 9, 2022- Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President, and CEO of Benedict College, announced today that Dr. Frankline “Frankie” Augustin, a 2022-2023 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, will spend the academic year on the campus of Benedict College as an Academic Fellow.
“The Benedict College family welcomes Dr. Frankie Augustin to the BEST of BC,” said Dr. Artis. “Dr. Augustin is one of only 46 Fellows across the nation who was selected by the senior administration at California State University, Northridge, through a rigorous interview and application process. She is an award-winning professor in the Health Administration Program who has done ground-breaking work around diversity in the health field.”
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutional and leadership capacity in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration.
“The ACE Fellows program and its career-enriching developmental opportunities offer institutions and its participants the unique opportunity to learn from one another,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “These Fellows engage in immersive learning experiences before they return to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook, prepared to address whatever challenges lie ahead.”
Over 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows serving as senior leaders of colleges and universities.
Dr. Augustin is a Full Professor in the Health Administration Program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, her Master of Science degree in Health Administration, and her doctorate in Policy, Planning and Development. Some of Dr. Augustin’s appointed roles include Interim Department Chair for the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health; Special Assistant to the Dean of the College of Health and Human Development; and Equity Faculty Affiliate for CSUN’s Office of the Provost and the Office of Student Success. Dr. Augustin’s research interests include cultural humility, workplace readiness, eliminating racial equity gaps for African American and Black students, and investigating strategies that increase racial diversity in the healthcare workforce.
Before she became Faculty, Dr. Augustin was Director for Student Support Services for CSUN’s College of Science and Mathematics for over 7 years where her unit was responsible for tracking retention, persistence, and graduation rates for over 2000 undergraduate Science and Math students including over 200 College-Based Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students. As Director, she co-developed the Student Health Professionals Pre-Entry Program (SHP-PEP) for first generation Science and Math Students with the goal of increasing the racial diversity of the healthcare workforce. Under her leadership, SHP-PEP Students had higher retention rates and higher graduation rates than those students in the College of Science and Mathematics who were not SHP-PEP students: 10 Years of Inspiring our Future Health Care Providers | CSUN Today
The ACE Fellows Program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single academic year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision-making while participating in administrative activities at their host institutions. Time is also spent investigating a specified issue of benefit to their nominating institutions for implementation upon the Fellows’ return to campus at the conclusion of the Fellowship placement.
“Through the inclusion of Fellows and hosts from a variety of institution types, the program is helping to develop a climate of collaboration across sectors and regions. I am confident this diverse and talented group of higher education professionals will help build the leadership capacity necessary to solve complex problems and thrive in a changing landscape,” said Hughes.
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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 26 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.
There is 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 master’s degrees. Six of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art Program, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
About ACE
Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.
