Artis practiced law for ten years with the firms Brown & Levicoff PLLC and The Wooton Law Firm.[7] When a friend asked her to teach courses as an adjunct professor, Artis acquiesced despite lack of experience in education. She found her passion in the field and returned to school to earn a doctorate so as to pursue the path in-depth and full-time. Leaving behind six years part-time classroom teaching, Artis graduated to the position of director of Mountain State University's legal studies program.[7] Next, she served as Senior Academic Officer for Distance Education, a post in which she oversaw the university's independent study and online programs. She also managed the school's Orlando, Florida and Center Township, Pennsylvania campuses.[7]
Artis was named chief academic officer at Mountain State University in September 2010, a post in which she was responsible for "all curricular and programmatic academic decisions regardless of the campus or modality."[7] Artis was serving as provost at Mountain State University in 2012, a position she began in 2011, when the university lost its accreditation.[8] The following year, Artis transitioned to the position of president of Florida Memorial College.[6] There, she oversaw the implementation of new technology, construction of new facilities, and resource development in STEM, cybersecurity, and social justice.[3]
In 2017, Artis assumed the position of president at Benedict College, where she lowered tuition by 26%[9] and launched the HBCU Sustainability Summit.[10]
In 2020, Artis helped open Benedict College's Women’s Business Center, making the college one of only two historically black universities in the United States to house a business center dedicated to advancing women in business.[11][12]
In 2017, while applying for the position of President at Jackson State University, several noteworthy past incidents came to light:
During her tenure at the now defunct Mountain State University, Artis, along with many other school leaders, were sued in 2010 for allegedly attempting to cover-up the school's accreditation issues and ultimately firing one professor without cause after said professor told her nursing students about the issues.[15] A Federal complaint made by a student at the time alleged that Artis was in the room but stood by and watched as students were told that if the sought legal help, they wouldn't graduate.
During her tenure as interim, and later, President of Florida Memorial University, Artis reduced the University's budget deficit from $3 million to $1 million, by freezing salaries, firing roughly a dozen employees including two Vice Presidents, and the temporary suspension of matching 401(k) contributions[16]
In 2019, during her current tenure as President of Benedict College, the school was placed on Probation with Good Cause by the accreditation board SACSCOC after struggling to overcome years of financial instability (prior to Artis' arrival) and failing to meet its requirements on financial responsibility. The school was released from Probation and restored to good standing a year later.[citation needed]
Awards and recognition
In 2020, Artis was named “President of the Year” by Higher Ed Dive for her leadership in navigating the unprecedented challenges of 2020[17]
In 2019, Artis was named to Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s “Top 35 Leading Women in Higher Education”[18]
In 2019, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. named Artis "2021 Educator of the Year”
In 2018, HBCU Digest named Artis “Female HBCU President of the Year”[19]
In 2018, the South Carolina State Senate honored Artis for her "significant contributions as the first female president of two collegiate institutions in the United States."[3]
