COLUMBIA, S.C. — The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., an organization recognizing and honoring distinguished alumni of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HCBUs), this year chose to honor Benedict College's President and CEO Roslyn Clark Artis and alumnus I.S. Leevy Johnson in a ceremony in Atlanta on September 23.
Artis, Benedict College's first female president and CEO said, “I am deeply honored to be recognized by my alma mater, West Virginia State (College) University and inducted into the National Black Alumni Hall of Fame. It is imperative that individuals who have matriculated through HBCUs and achieved a measure of personal and professional success be highlighted as examples of the transformative power and educational quality of these extraordinary universities.”
Johnson, who has practiced law in South Carolina for over forty years and is recognized as one of the top criminal attorneys in the state, was inducted as a Lifetime Achievement Inductee.
The two will join a prominent list of more than 300 inductees who have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Legendary Opera Singer Leontyne Price, Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, TV Maven Oprah Winfrey, and Ambassador Andrew Young.
In addition to the recognition, Benedict College received a check for $10,000 from the HBCU Change Foundation for scholarships, internships and career opportunities to deserving students at HBCUs.