Augusta University President Brooks Keel to retire in summer 2024

Staff report

Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel announced his plans to retire in summer 2024, according to a statement released by the Office of the President on Sept. 8, 2023.

The full statement reads as follows:

“To the Augusta University community,

“With mixed emotions, deepest appreciation and honor, I am writing to share with you that I will be retiring as president of Augusta University next summer following the 2023-24 academic year, bringing to a close my 40-year career in research and higher education administration.

“Serving as the president of Augusta University has been the capstone of my career and one of the greatest privileges of my life. Returning home to lead the university that was created from the institutions where I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I recognized when I left my role as president of Georgia Southern University to become president of our new university in July 2015 that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am so amazed by all we have accomplished in just eight years.

“As we began our work that year to come together as Augusta University and make known our influence in higher education, we achieved the first of what has become eight straight years of enrollment growth totaling 25% since 2015. We also have increased funding to the university from the National Institutes of Health by 37% during this time and have expanded our economic impact on the state by nearly $1 billion, a 48% increase.

“Since the day I set foot on campus as your president, I have been so proud of the academic achievements, community engagement and career success of our students and alumni, who are the real reason we all do this job. I will especially miss interacting (and taking selfies!) with the students. Your enthusiasm and Jag Spirit is what has kept me going.

“I have been honored to see more than 18,000 students graduate, going on to success in job fields as varied as our 160-plus academic programs, 40 of which we added since 2015, including cyber security engineering (our first engineering degree), animation, biomedical systems engineering, neuroscience, digital and visual storytelling, medical physiology and sports management, among many others.

“I also have had the privilege of working alongside outstanding faculty and staff throughout my time here who have allowed me to serve as a mirror, reflecting the many, many academic, research and community engagement accomplishments you have achieved for the university. 

“Today, we are the only university in the country that has more than $50 million in annual NIH funding, while also being part of the U.S. Cyber Command's Academic Engagement Network and in the top 5% of universities that improve economic outcomes for students with low- and moderate-income backgrounds. We are home to the state's only public academic medical center, anchored by the Medical College of Georgia, and we also are home to the state’s Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, which opened in 2018 as the largest single investment in cyber security of any state in the country.

“Thanks to your hard work over the last eight years, we have made significant investments in the future of this university, including the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences, Augusta University Online, and the School of Public Health; the Transdisciplinary Research Initiative in Inflammaging and Brain Aging, and the Immunology Center of Georgia; the four-year Medical College of Georgia Partnership Campus in Savannah; and a new College of Science and Mathematics building, two on-campus residence halls, and a major expansion of research laboratory space in the M. Bert Storey Cancer Research Building (and soon a new parking deck on the Health Sciences Campus!).

“Most recently, we consummated a partnership with Wellstar Health System to create Wellstar MCG Health, putting the future of our health sciences training and clinical care missions on a sustainable pathway to improve lives throughout Georgia for years to come. 

“Over the next several months and beyond, there are so many things to look forward to, and I remain enthusiastic for a very bright future at Augusta University. I am thankful to all of you for your unwavering commitment to our priority: our students and our patients. 

“The decision to retire has been something that First Lady Tammie Schalue and I have been thoughtfully considering for some time. Leaving now, just as so many wonderful things are beginning to happen at Augusta University is bittersweet, but I have always wanted to end my career on a high note, at a point when Tammie and I can most enjoy the next chapter of our lives together in and on the water, traveling, scuba diving and fishing. This is indeed that time for us.

“We look forward to following the great progress this institution will no doubt make from a distance. Thank you, and as always, Go Jags!”