After 40 years in higher education, Augusta University’s President Brooks Keel said he will miss being heavily involved in the school’s growth and academic progress, but it’s time to pass the baton and step into the next stage of life – retirement.
Prior to serving as the president of Georgia Southern University, Brooks graduated from Augusta College in 1978, with a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry, and a doctorate in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia in 1982.
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Later returning to Augusta University, Brooks became president of the institution in July 2015. Now 67, Keel will retire after more than 14 years in the University System of Georgia.
“It’s been such an honor and a privilege to be president and to be back here where it really all started for me,” Keel said. “It’s been a great thrill and the absolute capstone of my career.”
Taking over as president for Ricardo Azziz, Keel and his team persuaded the Board of Regents to approve the name Augusta University, which launched an immense rebranding campaign to once again unify the university’s several institutions.
“I really want to thank the Board of Regents, because it really took a lot of courage to go back and change it,” Keel said. “There were a lot of fathers and mothers that it meant a lot too, but I did not even realize or appreciate the impact it would have today … it was so visceral on just about everybody in this community.”
Since Keel’s appointment, AU’s economic impact has grown by nearly $1 billion and has secured more than $50 million in annual funding from the National Institutes of Health.
However, Keel said his many successes as president should not be attributed to him alone, as he works alongside a dedicated team that diligently endeavors to continue AU’s betterment for the community.
“Every president wants to make an impact, a positive one … and things have been truly innovative here,” he said. “As president I get a lot of credit for things, and that means a great deal to me, but really [my staff] are the ones who do the work. I’m their cheerleader and I love that role.”
With faculty and students often having “great relationships,” due to smaller class sizes, Keel said he believes there were several aspects that set apart AU, but the most significant had to be his colleagues, fellow educators and caring health professionals.
“There are a lot of things that make this university great. The main thing being the other people that are here – the faculty and the staff make this place what it is. They care deeply about education,” he said. “It’s not just book knowledge either; they care about the growth of the entire individual. So, it’s a special place.”
To Keel, students comprehend more when they feel seen, heard and cared for, and that – as well as AU’s developing reputation – is the legacy he hopes to leave behind for every individual who attends AU.
“It really has created something that’s incredibly unique, which is why I think we’ve seen such huge increases in enrollment,” he said. “When people come here they feel that sense of pride and excitement
As he plans to officially step down on June 30, with vice president Russell Keen recently being confirmed as the university’s next president, Keel said the 2023-24 academic year has been bittersweet.
“This has been a season of lasts,” he said. “We had the last lightning of the Christmas tree in December, the last commencement, a last Board of Regents meetings … it’s all becoming real now, but it’s also really exciting.”
Proud of the recent Wellstar Health partnership and his hardworking staff, Keel shared no concerns for the future of the institution, as he believes AU will only continue to thrive in the community and beyond because of those he leaves behind.
“There are so many other great things that are going to happen that I won’t be able to be a part of, but you know that’s part of being in a dynamic institution,” he said. “You can take pride in things that you were a part of to get started, and then someone will come after me to take it to the next level and that’s what it’s all about.”
Thinking of the next president, Keel advised that AU was an institution that needed to grow in tandem with the community.
“He sure better listen,” he said. “When I was the president at Georgia Southern, I made it a point of listening to the community and trying to understand the history and the culture as it relates to the university, and Augusta really isn’t any different from that.”
Keel said the folks at Augusta are doubly proud of the community and should always feel as though they have a say in the different directions it takes.
“Common sense would tell you that the relationship between the community and the university is important,” he said. “You put that on steroids and it’s kind of what we have here … because if you do not pay attention to the community, you will not be successful here.”
Keel said Augusta is proud to boast world class artists, scientists, musicians and more, and the next leader needed to be just as proud of that as the neighbors.
“You can’t lose sight of that, and the next president needs to fully embrace that and remember it,” he said. “I’ve had a great career here, and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
With retirement right around the corner, Keel said he is most looking forward to traveling and relaxing with his wife, First Lady Tammie Schalue.
“It’s one of those things where everything just sort of came together at the right time for us, and the university is in a great place, and we’ve always wanted to go out on a high note,” he said. “We also just wanted to do it while we’re still young and healthy enough to do the other things we just haven’t been able to do.”
As presidency is a full-time job with endless emails and calls, Keel said he was not going to miss being completely plugged in, but was definitely going to miss his staff, cabinet and – most of all – the students.
“Those are definitely the things I will miss the most, but that’s part of life,” he said. “I just hope they remember me as approachable, and I’m just an old Georgia boy, but I take a great deal of pride in where I’m from and what I was able to do here.”
Already having purchased a home in the lower Keys of Florida, Keel plans on driving down the last Friday of the month and diving into fun activities, his personal favorite being fishing.
“It’ll be nice to travel and not have to worry about not carrying a cellphone. Right now I can’t even imagine what that would be like,” he said. “Because the presidency job is a 24/7 job, and there is never any downtime … but that’s also part of the fun of the job. But I’ll be looking forward to not constantly being on call.”
With a granddaughter in Philadelphia and good memories exploring Africa, Keel said he is also excited to have endless amounts of freetime to enjoy his family and the beautiful outdoors of the world.
Following his last day as president at the end of June, Keel said he will be happily digging his toes in the sand with a fishing rod between his hands, as his wife enjoys scuba diving in the coastal waters.
“It’s been a great ride, and I just hope Augusta remembers how great it is,” he said. “And I hope Augusta will support the next president and give him a chance, because if we are separate as a community and a university neither will be successful.”
