Artis joins Council leading over 625 college and university presidents committed to 100% voter registration and turnout ahead of the 2024 elections
Washington, DC- Today Benedict College and ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge announced that Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis will serve on their Presidents’ Council in 2024. Artis will join a group of 13 college and university presidents charged with supporting senior leaders in higher education to foster nonpartisan democratic engagement on their campuses. The Presidents’ Council will lead more than 625 college and university presidents, provosts and chancellors who have committed to full student voter registration and participation in the 2024 elections through the ALL IN Presidents’ Commitment. The council will be chaired by Dr. Brad L. Mortensen, President of Weber State University. A full list of Presidents’ Council members is available here.
‘The right to vote in America is a hard fought and sacred privilege. I respect the right of every individual to vote their conscience in every local, state, and national election. Our vote is indeed our voice. It is our opportunity to express our views on issues that matter to us,” said Artis. “As I reflect on this upcoming national election, it occurs to me that for a large segment of black and brown America, the privilege of voting is a qualified privilege. You see, most people of color, do not have the luxury of voting for single issues. We are, quite literally, voting for our lives.”
“An estimated 8 million young people will be newly eligible to vote in 2024, and we want to make sure every college student can cast their ballot,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “Amidst efforts to suppress the student vote, higher education leaders have a critical role to play in creating a culture of nonpartisan civic engagement and voter participation on their campuses.”
While youth voter turnout has risen in recent years, there is still work to be done to encourage young people to register and vote. Only 23% percent of youth under 30 voted in the 2022 midterm elections. ALL IN has continuously grown the number of college and university presidents committed to full student voter participation on their campuses. Since the 2022 midterms, the number of Presidents’ Commitment signatories has nearly doubled.
The Presidents’ Council and the Presidents’ Commitment are a part of ALL IN’s mission to challenge institutions to make nonpartisan voter registration a priority on college campuses across the country. The council is informed by past legislation surrounding voter participation, including the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, both of which frontier avenues for college campuses to directly involve their students in the civic process.
Higher education leaders have a responsibility to prepare students to become responsible and engaged participants in the country’s democracy, and that includes exercising their right to register and vote. Leaders who make the Presidents’ Commitment pledge to:
- Strive toward full student voter participation by designating staff to lead this effort among the campus community:
- Acknowledge the importance of students’ voice in all elections, preparing students to be informed and active citizens and creating experiences to help students become lifelong voters;
- Empower faculty, staff, students and community stakeholders to come together and determine solutions to the problems communities face;
- Educate voters to make informed decisions about issues and candidates in presidential, national, state and local elections; and
- Actively participate in a democratic engagement action plan to bolster an institutional culture that supports curricular and co-curricular involvement in the electoral process.
The members have committed to supporting all institutions with nonpartisan full student voter participation efforts. The full list of signatories can be found here.
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
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 and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. 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 was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
