Sitting down with retiring Augusta University President Dr. Brooks Keel

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The end of an era–it’s the last full week for Dr. Brooks Keel as the President of Augusta University.

As the days are winding down before he retires, he’s taking a moment to look back.

“It’s a bittersweet moment for me and for Tammie, and it has been all along,” said Keel. “We wanted to retire when I was on a high note, when things were going well–and things have never been better at this university.”

Dr. Keel will retire after more than 14 years in the University of Georgia System, serving as president of Georgia Southern University before moving to Augusta.

He also graduated from both elements of Augusta University, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Augusta College in 1978, and a doctorate in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia in 1982.

This also marks the end of a nine-year journey as president for Augusta University, a role he took on July 8, 2015.

He says of all the accomplishments, rebranding from Georgia Regents to Augusta University takes the cake.

“I knew at the time there would be some folks in the community who would be very passionate about this, who’d be really pleased. But I never really understood the depth, and the breadth of how much this community just really did not care for the name of Georgia Regents University,” Keel said.

“I still to this day will get people that will stop me in a grocery store–or Home Depot or whatever–and say, thank you for helping bring the Augusta back to the name of the university.”

Under his leadership, the university helped create Wellstar MCG Health, which will invest nearly $800 Million over the next 10 years in facilities and infrastructure.

Last fall, AU surpassed the 10,000-student mark for the first time in the history of the institution.

Since Keel took over, more than 18,000 students have graduated from Augusta University, going on to jobs varied in the 160+ academic programs at the university.

He credits the partnership between the school and city, as the university’s economic impact on the state has grown by nearly $1 Billion.

“We always knew that Augusta University could never live up to its potential without the city of Augusta. The city of Augusta, I don’t believe either can reach its full potential without Augusta University–we’re so intertwined,” Keel said.

His retirement also marks the end of a 40-year career in research and higher education, but Keel says it wasn’t possible on his own.

“The President gets a lot of credit for accomplishments of the University, but I personally have done very little–other than surrounding myself with an unbelievable team who have done the lion share of the hard work, the heavy lifting,” said Keel.

Dr. Russell Keen will take over as the new president on Monday, July 1st–Keel says the university is in good hands.

“We’ve been working together for 14 years, and we’ve gotten to know each other very well during that time. I can say without hesitation that he without question is the best person for this job–the right person, at the right time,” Keel said.

Keel and his wife will go back to Florida following his retirement, but not before reflecting on what he calls a remarkable journey.

“It’s been the thrill of my life to be able to serve my alma mater, and to be able to provide that sort of experience for our students. It has grown and exceeded my expectations far more than I could ever imagined,” said Keel.

It’s the end of one chapter for Keel, who is just as excited about the next one.

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