Biography

Russell T. Keen, EdD, serves as president of Augusta University, a student-centered, research-intensive university and Georgia’s designated health sciences institution, home to the state’s only public academic medical center, the Georgia Cyber Center and the Georgia Cancer Center.

Russell T. Keen, EdD
President, Augusta University

A native of the Augusta area and a first-generation college graduate, Keen’s life and leadership have been shaped by the transformative power of education. Growing up in Columbia County, he once imagined following a more traditional path into the workforce. The creation of Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship opened a different door, providing him the opportunity to attend college and setting him on a path that would ultimately lead home to serve as president of Augusta University.

That experience continues to shape Keen’s commitment to expanding opportunity and ensuring students have the support, experiences and sense of belonging they need to succeed. He believes students should be known, valued and challenged to reach their full potential, and that a university’s success is ultimately measured by the lives it changes and the communities it serves.

Since becoming president in 2024, Keen has led Augusta University through a period of significant growth and momentum. Under his leadership, the university has achieved record enrollment while strengthening its focus on student success; expanded its statewide educational and clinical footprint to help address Georgia’s health care and workforce needs; advanced major investments in research and innovation; and earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.

Keen has championed Augusta University’s continued growth as a research-intensive university and its role in improving health and advancing discovery. During his presidency, the university secured funding for a new $146 million Translational Research Building, continued growing its research enterprise and advanced efforts to pursue National Cancer Institute designation for the Georgia Cancer Center. These efforts reflect his belief that Augusta University has both an extraordinary opportunity and a responsibility to address some of the most significant challenges facing Georgia and beyond.

Central to Keen’s vision is the belief that “Georgia is our campus.” Through Augusta University’s statewide network of campuses, clinical training sites and partnerships, he is committed to expanding the university’s reach and impact while creating opportunities for students and strengthening communities across the state. That commitment has helped drive continued expansion of the Medical College of Georgia’s statewide presence and the historic expansion of the Dental College of Georgia to Savannah.

Keen’s leadership philosophy is grounded in service, accountability, collaboration and an unwavering belief that “it can be done.” He believes ambitious goals require disciplined execution, strategic investment and people willing to work together toward something greater than themselves. As Augusta University continues to grow, Keen is leading a comprehensive strategic and campus master planning process designed to position the university for its next era of growth and impact.

Keen began his career in higher education in 2001 at Georgia Southern University, where he served in several leadership roles spanning advancement, government relations and external affairs. He later worked for the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center before joining Augusta University in 2015.

At Augusta University, Keen served in increasingly senior leadership positions, including executive vice president for administration and chief of staff to the president. In those roles, he helped guide university operations, government and external relations, strategic initiatives and partnerships supporting the university’s academic, research and health care missions. He was named the sole finalist for the presidency by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in June 2024 and began his tenure as president on July 1, 2024.

Keen earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University and a Doctor of Education in higher education management from the University of Georgia.

Deeply committed to the community and state he calls home, Keen views Augusta University’s success as inseparable from the success of Augusta and Georgia. He believes the university’s nearly 200-year history provides a strong foundation for an even more ambitious future and that its greatest impact will be achieved through the collective efforts of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners.

Keen and his wife, Karen, share a deep commitment to Augusta University and the community. Together, they are passionate advocates for the university’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters and for advancing Augusta University’s life-changing, life-saving mission.

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