Keel Named President of Georgia Southern University

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) today named Dr. Brooks A. Keel, 53, vice chancellor for research and economic development and professor of biological sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, president of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

“Dr. Keel has Georgia roots, and is a graduate of two USG institutions, so he is an outstanding success story for the university system and the state. He brings tremendous academic credentials, understands our state challenges on all dimensions and has the experience to link industry and the academy together in creative and compelling ways,” said Chancellor Erroll Davis. “I have no doubt that he will be a great partner for the board while leading Georgia Southern to the next level.”

Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr. chair of the Special Regents’ Committee for the presidential search at Georgia Southern, added that Keel’s “history of leadership in higher education is impressive. The committee is extremely confident in his ability and readiness to lead Georgia Southern.”

Keel will assume his post on January 1, 2010, according to USG Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Susan Herbst. He will replace Georgia Southern President Dr. Bruce Grube, who will step down as President, effective December 31, 2009. Dr. Grube has served the University System in this role since July 1, 1999.

“We were searching for someone who understood that the center of Georgia Southern is its students, faculty, and staff. And in order for Georgia Southern to further build its research profile, we needed a leader who knows how to develop research infrastructure,” said Herbst. “Brooks has keen understanding of what makes a university work effectively and efficiently for its many stakeholders.”

Prior to his appointment at Louisiana State University, Keel was a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and associate vice president for research at Florida State University, Tallahassee, from 2002-2006. His professional career began in 1985 at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, where he served in a variety of positions including the Daniel K. Roberts Distinguished Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1995-2001), president of the Women’s Research Institute (1993-2001), and director of Reproductive Medicine Laboratories (1994-2002).

He is a member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, among others. Keel has served on numerous boards related to his discipline, including the American Board of Bioanalysis, and has been honored for his work by these and other organizations. Keel earned a Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, and a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry from Augusta College (now Augusta State University), Augusta, Ga.

He has done postdoctoral work at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Vermillion.

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