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Heterodox Academy Announces Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis as the Winner of 2022 Leadership Open Inquiry Award

The Leadership Award is presented to the person who has most effectively championed the principles open inquiry.

 

Columbia, SC, May 27, 2022 — Heterodox Academy (HxA), a New York City-based nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in higher education, will recognize three exceptional individuals with Open Inquiry Awards this June.

Launched in 2018, the Open Inquiry Awards recognize those who do exemplary work promoting HxA’s core values in higher education — providing models that others can learn from, be inspired by, and emulate. At the HxA Conference 2022 in June, and at the discretion of HxA’s inaugural President John Tomasi, HxA will confer three awards:

Leadership Award

Presented to the person who has most effectively championed the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in the academy and beyond. Awarded to Roslyn Clark Artis, Ph.D., the 14th and first woman president of Benedict College in South Carolina.

“Open inquiry and viewpoint diversity is the hallmark of a quality liberal arts education,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College. “At Benedict College, we are committed to developing critical thinkers who will question, challenge, commit, engage and serve their communities in a meaningful and equitable way. This acknowledgment by HxA acknowledges and validates the importance of this commitment.”

Exceptional Student Award

Presented to an undergraduate or graduate student who has made vital and durable contributions to open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement on campus. Awarded to Emma Camp, who graduates from the University of Virginia this May with a degree in philosophy and English.

Courage Award

Presented to a person who has demonstrated consistent bravery in championing the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in the academy despite social and professional costs. Awarded to Dorian Abbot, Ph.D., associate professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago.

In reflecting on the work and accomplishments of this year’s award winners, HxA President John Tomasi stated, “It is so important to have luminaries to look up to and to emulate. Roslyn, Emma, and Dorian are three members of the academy who do just that: inspire us to recommit to improving the institutions we love.”

Past honorees include John McWhorter, Coleman Hughes, Cornel West, Alice Dreger, and Robert George, among others.

Learn more about the Open Inquiry Awards and the 2022 winners.

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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.

About HxA

Heterodox Academy is a New York City-based nonpartisan nonprofit that works to improve the quality of research and education by promoting open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in institutions of higher learning. The HxA community is made up of more than 5,000 professors, educators, administrators, and students who come from a range of institutions — from large research universities to community colleges. They represent nearly every discipline and are distributed throughout 49 states and across the globe.

Contact Mckenzie Love Director of Communications press@heterodoxacademy.org

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