(BLACK PR WIRE) – MIAMI GARDENS, FL (JULY 15, 2013) – Today marks the beginning of a new phase of leadership at Florida Memorial University as Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis assumes the position of Interim President. Her appointment, announced earlier this summer by the institution’s Board of Trustees, will foster the University’s tradition of excellence and pathway to progress toward a brighter future.

“Dr. Artis brings a wealth of expertise to the leadership team here at Florida Memorial University,” states Charles George, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “We are confident that as the Interim President, she will help foster the growth and sustainability initiated by her predecessors, and will keep us on track for much continued success.”

An experienced professional, Dr. Artis is a Trustee Scholar graduate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from West Virginia State College Institute in West Virginia.

Steeped in rich tradition and history, FMU celebrated its 134th anniversary earlier this year and graduated approximately 200 students in the 2012-13 academic year. Other key accomplishments and endeavors include:

- Receiving full accreditation in December 2012 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), with no findings, for another ten years;
 
- Three academic programs reaffirmed: the School of Business by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) through 2020; the Computer Science, Math and Technology Program, one of the nation’s few historically black universities to earn the ABET designation, through 2014; and the School of Education;
 
- In August 2012, FMU christened its first airplane; a state of the art Cessna 172 SP, which is used to provide training opportunities to FMU aviation students and other future pilots; 

- Exceptional alumni have been honored: Education major Latoya Porter, earned the “Rookie Teacher of the Year” honors at Frederick Douglass Elementary; and, Norma Ely, (retired) Air Traffic Manager, for Air Force One.
 
- In addition to high student performance and solid credentials, FMU has implemented over $25 million in infrastructure on the campus grounds, with $13 million in construction set to commence this fall, helping to create jobs and build a solid economy in South Florida.

Now more than ever, Florida Memorial University is committed to the pursuit of excellence and continues to educate youth, intellectually and spiritually. Located in the City of Miami Gardens, Florida Memorial University is a private, historically Black institution offering 41 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs to a culturally diverse student body. Since its inception in 1879, the University has upheld a commitment to providing a solid foundation for thousands of young people and opening doors to educational opportunities that may have otherwise been closed to them. As South Florida’s only Historically Black College or University (HBCU), it is widely recognized for being the birthplace of the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” and the home of Barrington Irving, Jr., the first and youngest pilot of African descent to fly solo around the world. Florida Memorial University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). For more information about FMU, visit www.fmuniv.edu.