Jul 18, 2013 09:45 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Florida Memorial University's Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis the interim president for a year, effective July 15. Artis succeeds Dr. Mary O'Banner, a senior academic administrator and chief of staff, who was appointed last November.

"Dr. Artis brings a wealth of expertise to the leadership team here at Florida Memorial University," said 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."

Artis is excited about the new position and location.

"I have not lived in south Florida, although with the weather and the warmth, I'm very excited about that. Many people say they like the seasons or they're looking forward to a white Christmas. I think I'll be just fine seeing sun and sand at Christmas time. It's a new chapter for us in more ways than one and we really look forward to it and hope it's successful," Artis said.

The FMU student population is estimated to be 2,000, mostly comprising of residential and traditional students.

Artis, a former executive vice president and chief academic officer at Mountain State University, is a Trustee Scholar graduate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. She earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

She completed her JD from West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia, and her B.A. in Political Science from West Virginia State College Institute in West Virginia.

Prior to Florida University, Artis served as partner at Assessment by Design, LLC, a consulting firm; attorney at the Wooton Law Firm, adjunct professor at The College of West Virginia, and associate attorney at Brown & Levicoff PLLC, among other notable positions.

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