The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Brooks Keel president of Georgia Regents University in Augusta. Keel will assume his new position on July 20.
“Brooks Keel brings a proven track record as a strong leader within our university system,” said Board of Regents Chair Neil Pruitt. “We are excited about the future of Georgia Regents University and the positive momentum Brooks will bring for the benefit of our students and our partnership with the Augusta community.”
“The selection of Brooks Keel reflects the comprehensive representation the GRU presidential search committee had from our Georgia Regents University stakeholders and the Augusta community,” said Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “We appreciate Regent Jim Hull, a lifelong Augusta resident, leading the search process, and we thank the members of the search committee for their commitment.”
“I had the great fortune to earn both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Augusta, and I’m eternally grateful for the fantastic opportunities in research, scholarship leadership they have brought to my life,” Keel said. “I am honored and humbled to return to Augusta and rejoin Georgia Regents University at this exciting time.”
Keel has served as president of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro since January 2010.
As president of GSU, Keel has focused on expanding undergraduate and graduate education through research and community experience. He has also worked to raise the national profile of Georgia Southern academically and athletically.
Under Keel’s leadership, GSU has launched the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology and the Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education. GSU also manages the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center, which was transferred to the institution by the state of Georgia.
Prior to joining GSU, Keel served as vice chancellor for research and economic development and professor of biological sciences at Louisiana State University.
GRU and UGA have partnered to create a four-year medical education program in Athens. The GRU/UGA Medical Partnership combines the significant instructional and research resources of UGA-the state’s flagship land-grant research university—with the expertise of GRU—Georgia’s only public medical school.