Roslyn Clark Artis

Roslyn Clark Artis has earned for the second time in history, the distinct honor of serving as the first female president of a collegiate institution in the United States. On June 30, 2017, Roslyn was unanimously appointed by the Board of Trustees as the 14th President of Benedict College. She is the first female president in the 148-year history of the College which was founded by a woman, Mrs. Bathsheba Benedict in 1870. 

Intentional, professional, and thoroughly committed to the proliferation and transformation of colleges and universities that serve underrepresented men and women of color, Roslyn brings to Benedict College a depth of knowledge in higher education and an enthusiasm for students’ success that is unmatched in today’s higher education arena. In March 2019, Roslyn was named Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s Top 35 Leading Women in Higher Education, the annual recognition honors the contributions of women who stand out for their ability to forge solutions to the unprecedented challenges facing the nation’s higher education community. 

Roslyn is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she earned a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. She also holds a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law, and her B.A. in Political Science from sister HBCU, West Virginia State University.