After serving as Augusta University’s President for eight years, many students and faculty say they were shocked and saddened to hear about Brooks Keel projected retirement in the summer of 2024.
To Dr. David Hess, the dean of the Medical College of Georgia, Keel has been a shining example of combining positive leadership and a deep, fundamental understanding of the various moving parts within Augusta University operations to maintain academic competitiveness.
“I’m certainly going to miss working with him,” he said. “He’s been a great boss and a great leader,” he said. “The university here is complex … but he’s done a good job of pulling us together. Definitely leaving some big shoes to fill, so to speak,”
With several different medical departments, specialities and schools associated with Augusta University, Hess said Keel has made collaboration, unity and research a fundamental priority in negotiations with the University System of Georgia, which has ensured AU’s academic uniqueness compared to other higher education facilities in the state.
“I was surprised, but after talking with him I can certainly understand his reasons. It’s nice to go out at a high point,” he said. “He just feels that it’s a good time to leave, and he’s given us time, and this allows us the rest of the school year so we can continue to plan and not lose any momentum.”
Student Government Association President Dee Mallory said his executive cabinet was looking forward to being directly involved in the process of selecting a new president for the fall of 2024.
“Being the main student that communicates with the president, Dr. Keel, on a fairly regular basis about the issues that we go through, I think it’ll be interesting to see what steps the university takes to address this process,” said Mallory. “It will be interesting to see in what direction the university lies in terms of where we want to go for our next president.”
Saddened by the news of Keel’s retirement, Mallory said it will be difficult to say goodbye because the current president will not have the opportunity to make more changes to the university.
“We’ll never really get to see all of what he is capable of,” he said. “I’m sad that he won’t get to see some of these changes through.”
In the next president, Mallory said he hopes students are just as represented and heard as they are under Keel’s leadership.
“I hope the university finds a president that is in tune with our generation. That understands the concerns of the students, and wants to be on the students’ side,” he said. “Dr. Keel is very innovative when it comes to finding new ways for student success to accommodate students.”
Always open to gaining new insight from students, Mallory said he believed Keel’s greatest achievement to be prioritizing a sense of community and belonging on campus — in highlighting how Augusta University is “like no other.”
“In my experience, [Keel] has directly and indirectly shaped that,” said Mallory. “I think that’s important, because, ultimately, it has an impact in shaping students’ experiences.”
While initially shocked at the announcement, AU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Neil MacKinnon said he is excited for Keel to enjoy the next phase of his life after being a successful president.
“It’s well deserved in all that he’s accomplished,” he said. “He has such a love for the place … he has roots here, he’s from Augusta, and that shows how he truly cares about the place.”
Describing him as a warmhearted and authentic leader, no matter who he might be speaking with, MacKinnon said he believes a key factor in Keel’s fruitful leadership is his friendly characteristics.
“He’s very down-to-earth, very approachable, and I think those are qualities where it doesn’t matter if you’re a dean, if you’re on staff or a student — he treats everyone the same, and he’s just been a great mentor and role model to me as well,” he said. “Those aren’t qualities you always see in university presidents.”
From touring campus renovations to laughing with young campus scholars, MacKinnon said Keel is a superb example of how leaders should connect with students and staff.
“He always says our two top priorities are patients and students, and beyond just saying that I think he truly lives that out,” he said. “He enjoys interacting with students and wants the best for them, and students pick up on that as well, because at the end of the day, everyone wants to know that someone cares for them, especially that leadership cares.”
After working 14 years in the University System of Georgia, with eight at AU and six at Georgia Southern, MacKinnon said he thinks Keel’s legacy will be remembered by the steady progress in increasing AU’s student admission numbers, also known as the “16 by 30” plan which aims to have 16,000 students enrolled at AU by 2030.
“Some university presidents are forced out or resign, but he’s had none of that,” MacKinnon said. “We’ve had record enrollment this fall, and that’s a huge transformation. This will be our eighth consecutive year of his leadership with a record each year in enrollment.”
With research funding also increasing by 17% in the past year, MacKinnon said research has also vastly increased under the president’s guidance.
“He’s had the vision, and I think that’s an important role of the president — to create a vision that gets people inspired and excited,” he said. “He’s leaving at a great time with the university in great shape.”
While MacKinnon admits that changes can be rather bittersweet and even uncomfortable at times, he is confident that the next president will want to continue Keel’s ongoing plans and forward thinking vision that is quickly characterizing Augusta University.
“I suspect he’ll find a way to still be a part of our community, and we’ll certainly want to keep him involved,” he said. “But he’s certainly set a high standard for what the next president will have to follow.”
