Augusta, GA
Sitting down with retiring Augusta University President Dr. Brooks Keel
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The end of an era–it’s the last full week for Dr. Brooks Keel as the President of Augusta University.
As the days are winding down before he retires, he’s taking a moment to look back.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for me and for Tammie, and it has been all along,” said Keel. “We wanted to retire when I was on a high note, when things were going well–and things have never been better at this university.”
Dr. Keel will retire after more than 14 years in the University of Georgia System, serving as president of Georgia Southern University before moving to Augusta.
He also graduated from both elements of Augusta University, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Augusta College in 1978, and a doctorate in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia in 1982.
This also marks the end of a nine-year journey as president for Augusta University, a role he took on July 8, 2015.
He says of all the accomplishments, rebranding from Georgia Regents to Augusta University takes the cake.
“I knew at the time there would be some folks in the community who would be very passionate about this, who’d be really pleased. But I never really understood the depth, and the breadth of how much this community just really did not care for the name of Georgia Regents University,” Keel said.
“I still to this day will get people that will stop me in a grocery store–or Home Depot or whatever–and say, thank you for helping bring the Augusta back to the name of the university.”
Under his leadership, the university helped create Wellstar MCG Health, which will invest nearly $800 Million over the next 10 years in facilities and infrastructure.
Last fall, AU surpassed the 10,000-student mark for the first time in the history of the institution.
Since Keel took over, more than 18,000 students have graduated from Augusta University, going on to jobs varied in the 160+ academic programs at the university.
He credits the partnership between the school and city, as the university’s economic impact on the state has grown by nearly $1 Billion.
“We always knew that Augusta University could never live up to its potential without the city of Augusta. The city of Augusta, I don’t believe either can reach its full potential without Augusta University–we’re so intertwined,” Keel said.
His retirement also marks the end of a 40-year career in research and higher education, but Keel says it wasn’t possible on his own.
“The President gets a lot of credit for accomplishments of the University, but I personally have done very little–other than surrounding myself with an unbelievable team who have done the lion share of the hard work, the heavy lifting,” said Keel.
Dr. Russell Keen will take over as the new president on Monday, July 1st–Keel says the university is in good hands.
“We’ve been working together for 14 years, and we’ve gotten to know each other very well during that time. I can say without hesitation that he without question is the best person for this job–the right person, at the right time,” Keel said.
Keel and his wife will go back to Florida following his retirement, but not before reflecting on what he calls a remarkable journey.
“It’s been the thrill of my life to be able to serve my alma mater, and to be able to provide that sort of experience for our students. It has grown and exceeded my expectations far more than I could ever imagined,” said Keel.
It’s the end of one chapter for Keel, who is just as excited about the next one.
AUGUSTA, GA (WJBF)- The Augusta men’s basketball team is gearing up to host cross-town rival the USC Aiken Pacers Wednesday night in a Peach Belt Conference matchup.
The Jags held their last full day of practice at Christenberry Fieldhouse before they take the court against the Pacers. Augusta holds a 54-33 lead in the overall series, but the Pacers swept the Jags last season.
Both teams this year off to a slower start in conference play, with just five wins combined between the two programs. So, this matchup will serve as a strong evaluation on where the teams are at now, and what they can improve on moving forward.
“We started the season off a little slow. But each game you can see the progress that we’re making in practice, the progress that we’re making. As a team we’re starting to click and understand what it takes,” said AU point guard Kyndon Wilburg.
“Rebounding the basketball is probably the most important thing, getting back in transition. This would be a huge win for us, coming off a tough loss from lander. I think it would be a great way to kick start what we’re about to do,” Wilburg said.
Tip-off for the men is set for 7:30 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Museum of History is launching a new America’s 250th exhibit that showcases the area’s Revolutionary War, Civil War and modern-day connections.
“When people think of the Revolutionary War, a lot of times they think of up north, you know, New England and Paul Revere, but there’s just as much history down here,” Krystal Lyons, head of education, said.
The exhibit is a chronological journey through Augusta’s past
The exhibit moves chronologically through Augusta’s history, telling specific stories through objects that have not been displayed before or in a long time.
The display starts with Native Americans and the Stallings Island community, progresses through the Revolutionary period and into the Civil War and antebellum period before arriving at the modern day.
Visitors should plan multiple visits to see all the historical stories the artifacts tell, as the exhibit will change every three months.
“These stories that each of these artifacts has, it has a little story that we can connect to people today, so it might feel like a long time ago, 250 years ago, but there’s a lot of things that we do that are just the same today as they were 250 years ago.”
You can also visit the Augusta Museum of History’s social media pages as they deep dive into one artifact per week throughout the year.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Video game retailer GameStop is reportedly closing 16 stores in Georgia, including one Augusta location, as part of its “comprehensive store portfolio optimization.”
The store in Augusta is located in the Southpointe Plaza at 3209 Deans Bridge Road.
The retailer announced in an SEC filing that it plans to close “a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025.”
While an official list is not available, emails sent to customers and notices sent to employees indicate 16 stores in Georgia are on the chopping block.
All Georgia locations closing include:
- North Point Mall, 1198 North Point Circle, Alpharetta
- Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE Suite 2027, Atlanta
- Howell Mill, 1801 Howell Mill Rd. NW, Atlanta
- Southpointe Plaza, 3209 Deans Bridge Rd., Augusta
- Shops @ Main Street, 455 Cherokee Pl., Cartersville
- Chamblee Village, 1841 Chamblee-Tucker Rd., Chamblee
- Peachtree Mall, 3131 Manchester Expwy. #34B, Columbus
- Cumming Marketplace, 1060 Market Place Blvd., Cumming
- Dublin Commons, 2421 Hwy. 80 W, Dublin
- Hartwell Station, 115 Walmart Dr., Hartwell
- 4959 Bill Gardner Pkwy., Locust Grove
- McDonough Square, 1144 Hwy. 20-81, McDonough
- Pharrs Village, 1830 Scenic Hwy. N, Snellville
- Stone Mountain Festival, 1825 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain
- Cofer Crossing, 4363 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker
GameStop’s board of directors recently approved $35 billion in performance-based stock options for CEO Ryan Cohen, should the company’s market cap hit $100 billion. The company’s market cap is $9.3 billion.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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