Benedict College Welcomes Dr. Leon Geter to the Role of Interim Dean, School of Communication, Arts and Social Sciences

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Columbia, SC – Benedict College proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Leon Geter as Interim Dean for the School of Communication, Arts and Social Sciences. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Administration and Social Sciences and Director of the Center for Cybersecurity. 

“I congratulate Dr. Geter on this administrative appointment,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “His appointment provides a meaningful opportunity to amplify existing institutional strengths.”

Prior to joining the Benedict College faculty in 2014, Dr. Geter chaired the Department of Criminal Justice at the New York City campus of Berkeley College following eight years of industry experience as an associate program manager at Lockheed Martin in Rockville, Maryland. In his new role, Dr. Geter will provide leadership for the students, faculty, staff, and programs in the Department of Communication and Arts and the Department of Criminal Justice Administration. These departments offer majors in studio art, music, music industry, English, mass communication, criminal justice administration, cybersecurity, interdisciplinary studies, and political science. The School also offers a symposium that focuses on cybersecurity education and workforce development for students to engage in industry.

Dr. Geter’s innovation and vision provided the foundation and catalyst for the development of the cybersecurity program at Benedict College. His most recent grant, Connecting Minority Communities, was funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U. S. Department of Commerce for 2.8 million dollars.

A Benedict College graduate, Dr. Geter earned a Master of Arts degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, a Masters of Cybersecurity Operations and Leadership from the University of San Diego and a Doctor of Management degree in organizational leadership at the University of Phoenix.

About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)

Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 26 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world.

Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty.

Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications.  For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.  In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest. Benedict College was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.

Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Six of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering Program, Studio Art Program, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship