COLUMBIA, S.C., November 15, 2021– Benedict College, one of the region’s leading private four-year institutions, announced today that its President and CEO, Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, has been appointed as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Presidents Council. Artis’ term will begin immediately and continue through January 18, 2025.
“I’m honored to serve on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council,” said Artis. “Athletics are an important part of the experience on college and university campuses for both the student-athletes and the campus community. I’m pleased to be able to support the success of the more than 1,100 NCAA member universities and colleges within this role.”
As a member of the NCAA Presidents Council, Artis will help establish Division II’s strategic plan and make recommendations to the NCAA Board of Governors on matters such as championships and the use of funds allocated to Division II to support initiatives and programs.
The NCAA is a member-led organization dedicated to supporting the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes. The organization proposes and interprets the rules and policies surrounding college sports, runs all championships, and manages the programs that benefit the nearly half a million college athletes at colleges and universities around the nation.
Division II is all about balance. Students participate in highly competitive athletics, have the best access ratio to NCAA championships of any division, and can earn athletic scholarships. Still their college experience includes so much more than sports participation. The balanced approach in athletics, academics and community engagement allows Division II student-athletes to focus on their academic pursuits, internships, studies abroad, and all that interests them.
Benedict College sponsors 16 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that compete in the NCAA Division II level in the SIAC Conference. More than 300 student-athletes participate in the college’s16 male and female teams, including baseball, basketball, football, softball, tennis, cross-country, track and field, and volleyball.
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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.
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.
