Koon has held multiple positions at the College during his tenure, including Residential Life Coordinator, Area Coordinator, Assistant Director for Residential Life, Director of Residential Life, Dean of Students, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.
Columbia, SC, September 6, 2023, Today, Benedict College announces Mr. Jacob Koon as the new Vice President for Student Affairs. Koon assumed his new role on September 1, 2023. In this role, he will serve as chief administrator for the Division of Student Affairs. With this new appointment, Koon will be responsible for providing strategic vision, leadership, and direction for the student affairs departments including Residential Life, Student Activities, Health Services, Counseling and Self-development, Campus Police, Religious Services, Judicial Affairs, and Food Services.
Koon is a spring 2013 Bachelor of Arts in Music graduate of Benedict College. He also holds a Master’s in Higher Education Administration and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.
“I congratulate Mr. Koon on this well-deserved promotion,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, CEO and President of Benedict College. “This position is an important part of my leadership team that works across Benedict’s campus to ensure our students have a transformative experience. He is a student-centered advocate for our students who truly embodies the BEST of BC!”
He has held multiple positions at the college during his tenure, including Residential Life Coordinator, Area Coordinator, Assistant Director for Residential Life, Director of Residential Life, Dean of Students, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.
Some of Koon’s notable achievements include leading the Student Affairs office and a successful accreditation visit for policy revision to enhance student development and integrity, increasing on-campus residential capacity with strategic conversion of optimal space, and enhancing programming that resulted in the student satisfaction rate increasing from 71% to 93%.
He also revitalized the Counseling and Self-development department with a strategic focus on student access and support and successfully proposed grant funding that has now positioned the department to become a Counseling Center. Under his leadership, strategic programming increased to support the needs of Benedict’s diverse student population.
Koon is a catalyst for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access on the campus for both students and staff. As a DEIA presenter, he has encouraged and implemented additional programs that have helped to cultivate a sense of belonging amongst the College’s community.
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About Benedict College (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.
