Higher education has a unique role to play in answering that question. As president of Benedict College, an HBCU founded on the principle that education transforms lives, I have witnessed firsthand what intentional investment can accomplish. Young Black men do not arrive on our campuses lacking potential. They arrive with extraordinary promise, often carrying burdens that extend far beyond the classroom—financial pressures, family responsibilities, questions of identity and the weight of societal expectations that too often define them by risk rather than possibility.

Those realities demand more than access to college. They require belonging, mentorship, accountability and a community that refuses to let students navigate life’s complexities alone. That belief is the foundation of Benedict College’s BEST Men Program—a comprehensive male mentorship initiative.

Our initiative surrounds students with mentors, leadership development opportunities, academic support, career preparation, wellness resources and a brotherhood committed to their success. It recognizes that persistence is rarely the product of talent alone. Students succeed because someone consistently shows up, challenges them, believes in them and refuses to let temporary setbacks become permanent outcomes.

Today, Benedict College enrolls a student body that is majority male—an uncommon distinction among private HBCUs and higher education more broadly. More importantly, our four-year graduation rate has doubled over the past eight years, demonstrating what is possible when institutions intentionally invest in student success rather than simply measuring it. Behind every percentage point is a young man whose life trajectory has changed because someone invested before the crisis became destiny.

These outcomes did not happen by accident. They are the product of sustained commitment, strategic investment and partnerships with organizations that understand the value of prevention over reaction.

Among those partners is the distinguished men of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, whose investment in Benedict College’s BEST Men Initiative reflects a profound understanding that leadership is measured not only by responding to tragedy but by creating opportunities for young Black men to thrive long before tragedy ever finds them. Their support is more than philanthropy; it is an investment in human potential, institutional capacity and generational change. For that partnership, we are deeply grateful.

Imagine if this model became the norm rather than the exception. Imagine if corporations funded mentorship with the same enthusiasm they sponsor memorial funds. Imagine if professional athletes endowed leadership programs instead of waiting to establish scholarships after lives are lost. Imagine if foundations, faith communities, civic organizations and philanthropists viewed investments in young Black men as one of the nation’s most important forms of economic and social development.

The return on that investment would extend far beyond individual campuses. It would strengthen families, expand our workforce, cultivate future entrepreneurs, educators, physicians, engineers and public servants and reinforce the civic fabric of communities across America.

At Benedict College, we know what works. Decades of research consistently demonstrate that meaningful mentoring relationships, educational attainment, strong campus engagement and supportive peer networks improve persistence, graduation, employment and long-term well-being. The challenge has never been discovering the solution. The challenge has been sustaining the investment in the effort in the absence of a crisis.

The public attention surrounding tragedy often fades within weeks. The work of developing young men requires years. It is quieter work. There are no viral videos when a student decides to stay enrolled after considering dropping out. There are no national headlines celebrating the mentor who spends countless evenings listening instead of lecturing. Cameras rarely capture the professor who notices a struggling student, the coach who teaches discipline beyond the game or the donor whose investment allows a first-generation student to remain in school. Yet these unseen moments are precisely where futures are shaped.

Compassion after tragedy will always have its place. But compassion before tragedy has the power to change the story altogether. The greatest legacy we can leave is not simply remembering young Black men after their lives have ended. It is ensuring that more of them live long enough to fulfill the promise that has always existed within them.

Let us continue to comfort grieving families. Let us continue to demand justice. But let us also commit—with equal passion, equal generosity and equal urgency—to investing in Black boys and young Black men while they are still writing their stories. The most meaningful tribute we can offer is not another memorial. It is another graduate. Another entrepreneur. Another father. Another teacher. Another physician. Another engineer. Another astronaut. Another brother of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Another life fully lived because someone believed in him before the rest of the world knew his name.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis
President & CEO, Benedict College

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Benedict College

Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 29 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from several counties in South Carolina, states across America, and 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 is the recipient of the 2024 UNCF Institutional Excellence Award given by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Program. in Benedict was also named HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest and voted the number one Gold Winner in The States’ BEST College or University in 2025. The College was also recognized as one of the Best Colleges in South Carolina in Research.com’s 2026 rankings.

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.

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