The University System of Georgia Board of Regents Thursday named a veteran of the university system as the sole finalist for president of Augusta University.
Russell Keen has worked in the system for the last 22 years, including the last nine years as the university’s executive vice president for administration and chief of staff to AU President Brooks Keel, who will retire at the end of this month.
Before 2015, Keen served in several administrative positions at Georgia Southern University, his alma mater. He also worked as the major gifts officer at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia.
“As a native of the Augusta area, Dr. Keen understands the challenge of maintaining AU’s momentum in the climb from good to better to best as a research university and innovator in medical higher education,” system Chancellor Sonny Perdue said.
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“Russell has a tremendous history within our system and is dedicated to fiscal management and student success. His combination of skills and energy will keep the university on track to being a world-class institution.”
“My time on campus and in Augusta has prepared me for a seamless transition into this role, and I would be honored to continue the legacy of a president I consider a mentor,” Keen added. “I’m wholeheartedly vested in advancing the university’s success through its current initiatives and into its next chapter.”
Keen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern. He earned a doctorate in higher education management from UGA.
The regents will take a final vote on the AU position no sooner than five days from Thursday’s naming of a sole finalist.
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