Courtesy of Benedict College
Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President, and CEO of Benedict College, announced today that Dr. Frankline “Frankie” Augustin, a 2022-2023 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, will spend the academic year on the campus of Benedict College as an Academic Fellow.
“The Benedict College family welcomes Dr. Frankie Augustin to the BEST of BC,” said Dr. Artis. “Dr. Augustin is one of only 46 Fellows across the nation who was selected by the senior administration at California State University, Northridge, through a rigorous interview and application process. She is an award-winning professor in the Health Administration Program who has done ground-breaking work around diversity in the health field.”
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutional and leadership capacity in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration.
“The ACE Fellows program and its career-enriching developmental opportunities offer institutions and its participants the unique opportunity to learn from one another,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “These Fellows engage in immersive learning experiences before they return to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook, prepared to address whatever challenges lie ahead.”
Over 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of Fellows serving as senior leaders of colleges and universities.
Dr. Augustin is a Full Professor in the Health Administration Program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, her Master of Science degree in Health Administration, and her doctorate in Policy, Planning and Development. Some of Dr. Augustin’s appointed roles include Interim Department Chair for the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health; Special Assistant to the Dean of the College of Health and Human Development; and Equity Faculty Affiliate for CSUN’s Office of the Provost and the Office of Student Success. Dr. Augustin’s research interests include cultural humility, workplace readiness, eliminating racial equity gaps for African American and Black students, and investigating strategies that increase racial diversity in the healthcare workforce.
Before she became Faculty, Dr. Augustin was Director for Student Support Services for CSUN’s College of Science and Mathematics for over 7 years where her unit was responsible for tracking retention, persistence, and graduation rates for over 2000 undergraduate Science and Math students including over 200 College-Based Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students. As Director, she co-developed the Student Health Professionals Pre-Entry Program (SHP-PEP) for first generation Science and Math Students with the goal of increasing the racial diversity of the healthcare workforce. Under her leadership, SHP-PEP Students had higher retention rates and higher graduation rates than those students in the College of Science and Mathematics who were not SHP-PEP students: 10 Years of Inspiring our Future Health Care Providers | CSUN Today
The ACE Fellows Program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single academic year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision-making while participating in administrative activities at their host institutions. Time is also spent investigating a specified issue of benefit to their nominating institutions for implementation upon the Fellows’ return to campus at the conclusion of the Fellowship placement.
“Through the inclusion of Fellows and hosts from a variety of institution types, the program is helping to develop a climate of collaboration across sectors and regions. I am confident this diverse and talented group of higher education professionals will help build the leadership capacity necessary to solve complex problems and thrive in a changing landscape,” said Hughes.
