Celebrate DCG faculty opening new student center

Faculty, staff, students and community members will gather April 20 to mark the opening of the Dr. Gretchen B. Caughman Student Welcome Center at Augusta University.

AU President Russell T. Keen and First Lady Karen B. Keen will host the ribbon-cutting and reception at 10 a.m. on the Health Sciences Campus, 1488 Laney-Walker Blvd. The event honors Caughman, retired professor of oral biology and provost emerita.

The Welcome Center will serve as a central point for prospective students and visitors to support recruitment and provide a first stop for campus visits. Organizers encourage the campus community to attend and show support.

Caughman began her career at AU in 1988 as an oral biology faculty member at the Dental College of Georgia and remained on the faculty until retirement. During her career, she held senior leadership roles at the university and its predecessor institutions. She served as interim provost and as dean of the College of Graduate Studies from 2005 to 2010, and then as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost from 2011 to 2020. She continued work with the university as provost emerita after retirement.

Her husband, Dr. Frank Caughman, served as associate dean of patient services at the DCG and continues to support the college as professor emeritus and as a consultant, including work with extramural clinic sites for senior dental rotations.

For more information, contact the Office of Protocol and Special Events at 706-737-1451 or specialevents@augusta.edu.