Hello, everyone. We hope you enjoyed the inaugural edition of The Bridge, that we emailed to you in March 2022.

Produced by the Office of External Relations, this newsletter provides a quarterly recap of what our External Relations teams are doing to build bridges for Augusta University. This issue will summarize successes during the last quarter of FY2022 (April – June).

As fiscal year 2022 closes, we have much to celebrate as a university. Perhaps one of the most significant institutional achievements for this year was the April launch of our strategic plan, Creating A Legacy Like No Other. This plan will serve as a roadmap over the next five years as we continue to construct bold new pathways into the strategic priorities of Learning, Discovery, Student Success, Community and Stewardship, with interwoven priorities of Innovation, Engagement and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

I had the pleasure of serving on the Project Leadership Team as the project co-sponsor, working alongside our provost, Dr. Neil J. MacKinnon. In addition, three of our leaders in External Relations served as co-champions in priority areas – Suzanne Tatum (Community), Eileen Brandon (Stewardship) and Tina Baggott (Engagement).

I am grateful to President Brooks A. Keel, our executive project sponsor, Mickey Williford, our project leader from Institutional Effectiveness, as well as everyone else involved in the strategic planning process. We have set three major goals:

1. Reach an enrollment of 16,000 students by 2030.
2. Be ranked in the Top 60 universities for National Institutes of Health funding.
3. Achieve Carnegie Community Engagement Classification by 2026.

These are bold goals, but with the support of the entire university community, including each of you, we can do this. I am so grateful to our External Relations teams for all the support you attract to Augusta University and our strategic priorities. Much of your advocacy happens behind the scenes, yet it positions our university to achieve great things. The bridges you are building in fundraising, engagement and the like help keep us connected to our priorities, and we cannot move forward without you.

I enjoyed working side-by-side with our team leaders in External Relations this month as we began exploring a strategic plan for this office that will help bolster our institutional plan. I was reminded of how productive and creative we can be when we work together toward a common purpose. 

I value each and every one of you in External Relations. What you do matters, and I am blessed to be your leader and advocate.

Thanks for all you do to help create our legacy.

Sincerely,

Russell T. Keen, EdD

Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff to the President 

The Office of Government Relations has been building relationships, connections and partnerships through visits, hosting VIPs and other statewide engagements.

New Georgia Economy Tour

The Office of Government Relations, in partnership with the Office of External Relations and the Office of Protocol & Special Events, hosted the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's New Georgia Economy Tour in Augusta on May 26. As the state’s largest and most powerful voice for business, the Georgia Chamber seeks to understand the unique needs of Georgia communities, both rural and urban. Through a series of in-person events known collectively as the New Georgia Economy Tour, Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber, led discussions during its Augusta region stop, focusing on the current state of the economy and unpacking the opportunities and challenges on the horizon. Small business owners, local chambers and university and community leaders came together at the JSAC Ballroom on the Summerville Campus to engage and explore steps that Georgia must take for a stronger, more resilient future. Future tour stops include Brunswick in August and Dalton State College and Berry College in September.

Presidential Cabinet Guest

President Brooks A. Keel greets Isabel Guzman, the U.S. Small Business Administrator and a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet, as she arrives on campus May 4 at the Georgia Cyber Center to discuss cybersecurity for small businesses during National Small Business Week. This was part of a national tour to hear from small businesses about their cybersecurity needs and better understand how to prepare and educate the workforce to protect small businesses from cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

"It's very impressive, the collaboration
that they have built
at the Georgia Cyber Center.
They have government and educational institutions,
as well as small business and big business,
coming together to really solve
this huge problem of cybersecurity."

- Isabel Guzman, U.S. Small Business Administrator
and member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet

Policy Advisors Clinical Tour

Austin Gibbons, policy advisor, Office of Gov. Brian P. Kemp, Connor Rahbany; policy advisor, Office of Health Strategy and Coordination in the Office of Gov. Brian P. Kemp; and Chris Green, director of Economic Development, University System of Georgia, visited the Augusta University Health Sciences Campus this quarter. The group saw first-hand how important the state's only public academic medical center is to this community, region and beyond. They also visited the Children's Hospital of Georgia and met Nugget, one of two full-time facility dogs, and toured the College of Nursing’s Nurse-Managed Health Center with Dean Tanya Sudia. Ashton Blackwood, assistant director of State Relations, and Kaylee Snead, External Relations liaison, collaborated with health system and nursing leaders to organize the visit to demonstrate the critical role AUMC plays in the teaching mission of MCG and to discuss health care workforce needs. 

Other notable happenings:

• President Brooks A. Keel welcomed General Paul Stanton, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, during a campus visit on May 6. Gen. Stanton met with President Keel to discuss academic partnerships between Augusta University and the Cyber Center of Excellence. AU is a strong supporter of the military and looks forward to working more closely with the Cyber Center of Excellence in the near future.
• Monty Philpot, director of Federal Relations, hosted Reggie Cofer with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff's Office and Maria Cook with U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock's Office for a Health Sciences Campus tour that included a stop to meet Nugget, a beloved facility dog at the Children's Hospital of Georgia. Augusta University is grateful for funding that Ossoff provided for two new MRI machines and the funding provided by Warnock for MCG 3+ scholarships.

• Monty Philpot joined forces with Colonel Eric Toler (Ret.), the executive director of the Georgia Cyber Center, to host Colonel Heidi Mon, commander of Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, and Command Sergeant Major Natasha Santiago on campus to discuss medical and cyber partnerships. 

• Margie Miller, assistant vice president of Government Relations, participated in the MCG Faculty Development Conference on June 3-4. Miller presented a state legislative update and specifically shared the details of the additional funding allocated to MCG by the honorable Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly. During the Friday evening reception, Miller especially enjoyed meeting, Dr. Bradley William Newton, son of State Representative Mark Newton, MD.
  
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Alumni Weekend 2022

Alumni Weekend 2022 was held during its traditional time of the last week in April. It was a pleasure to see so many of our alumni returning to their alma mater to connect with their classmates and tour our ever-growing and expanding campuses. The Alumni Engagement team managed more than a dozen events, with the integral help of Protocol & Special Events, including five banquets, a memorial service, the President's Cookout and a baseball outing. View Alumni Weekend photos here.

Gifts from Alumni

Two fourth-quarter gifts of note are from Elaine Clark Smith and the Mason McKnight III family. Smith, an alumna of AU's College of Education (and a 2006 Distinguished Alumna), has a lifelong interest in literacy and in the Augusta University Literacy Center. A former and current foundation trustee member, she recently established an endowment to fund the programmatic needs of the AU Literacy Center in perpetuity. During the Augusta Gives Campaign in April, McKnight and his wife Lou pledged a $1 million leadership gift to support construction of a new baseball and softball facility outside Christenberry Fieldhouse on the Forest Hills Campus of Augusta University. McKnight is a 1980 alumnus of our business school.

Augusta Gives

The McKnight gift was pledged on Augusta University’s third annual day of giving, Augusta Gives, held  April 20, 2022. About 425 donors contributed a total of $1,491,913 during the campaign, which was driven by crowdfunding and social media. Thanks to Philanthropy, the Annual Giving Team, External Relations, and Communications & Marketing for the roles you played in the Augusta Gives campaign.

President's Spring Celebration

On May 5, President Brooks A. Keel hosted a spring celebration to honor and show appreciation to our donors, friends and supporters. Held at the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons on the Health Sciences Campus, this event was planned by Donor Relations with support from the Office of Protocol & Special Events. One of the highlights of the evening was the announcement that the Kevin & Brittany Kisner Foundation was selected to receive the 2022 President’s Award for their generous support of expanding pediatric development and behavioral health and wellness services at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

Beard Award

Dr. Hamzah Ali (MD ‘22) received this year’s John F. Beard Award for compassionate care. Ali played a key role in the founding of two health clinics in the Athens area (one mobile) to provide free medical care to the underserved. He also volunteered more than 500 hours at the Mercy Health Center Clinic in Athens and has been actively involved in many community events. Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement partnered with MCG, Special Events, and the President's Office to coordinate the surprise presentation of the award during MCG's Hooding Ceremony. The $40,000 Beard Award is given annually by William Porter “Billy” Payne and his wife Martha to a graduating MCG or other health sciences student at Augusta University who exemplifies caring and compassion in health care. Payne, the immediate past chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, established the award in 1998 in memory of his father-in-law, who died of cancer in 1997. The award honors President Emeritus Francis J. Tedesco and Beard’s physician, Dr. Mark F. Williams, a 1988 MCG graduate who treated Beard during his hospitalization at AU Medical Center. 

Foundation news

The Medical College of Georgia Foundation board has released funds to ensure that Augusta University receives matching funds in support of the MCG 3+ Program. This is collaborative thinking by the foundation, university and MCG leaders in how philanthropic donations can best be utilized to support the great work at MCG. The MCG Foundation is also a partner in the Hub for Community Innovation, which held its grand opening June 24-25. The Hub houses the Greater Augusta Boys & Girls Clubs, Augusta Locally Grown and the AU Literacy Center. This is an example of how our foundations and local organizations can work together to improve our community, and, in this case, an underserved area. Dr. J. Ben Deal, who has fervently led the MCG Foundation for many years, will be handing the reigns to Dr. Charlie Green. Our AU Foundation co-chairs Debbie Layman and Al Harris are getting closer to completing the integration of the Georgia Health Sciences and Augusta University Foundations. Thank you to Stephen Wertz and all the board members and trustees for helping us navigate this transition over the past fiscal year. We are almost there. The AU Foundation is also making plans to set up and support needs-based student scholarships in each of Augusta University's 10 colleges through an allocation of $1 million in foundation funds. This will help AU attract more underrepresented students in a variety of fields.

Looking forward

Augusta University will welcome its new Vice President for Development of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Brandon T. McCray on Aug. 1. McCray currently serves as the interim vice president, Development – Constituent Programs at Florida State University Foundation. He has an extensive background in academic and medical fundraising and a proven track record of leadership and strategic planning. In his current role with FSU, he serves as the staff liaison for the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees Development Committee. He also provides oversight of university-wide initiatives such as the student success and first-generation programs. Thank you to Eileen Brandon, who has served as AU’s interim vice president for Development since October 2021. She has enthusiastically led the PAE team through an amazing period of fundraising success.

Grateful for Your Gifts
Our donors continue to honor us with their generosity and have pushed us through another record-breaking year. Through June 28, the fundraising total for FY22 stood at nearly $36.5 million (and counting!) That is an amazing 146% of Philanthropy's $25 million goal for FY22. And the number of donors who supported us also exceeded the goal with 10,616 donors on a goal of 10,320 (103% of our goal). Our philanthropy leaders and major gift officers work collaboratively with our college deans and university and health system leaders to create philanthropic partnerships that help ensure the future of this great university, and these contributions are cultivated through these partnerships. Augusta University leaders are humbly grateful for all our donors and supporters.

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Visit us online

706-721-4001

philanthropy@augusta.edu

The Office of Protocol & Special Events experienced a year of growth, transition, and success, while continuing to enhance event experiences, produce exceptional events and serve as an educational resource. They have successfully planned and executed 63 events, provided guidance to 41 campus partners and hosted bi-annual protocol workshops for Augusta University's internal protocol group.

Additionally, this year OPSE began supporting more events for the Provost and Academic Affairs offices. Examples of these included the Celebration of Faculty and the Converge Rural Health Symposium. OPSE partnered with Faculty Affairs to hold the inaugural Celebration of Faculty, which recognized faculty achievements including individual awards, tenure and retirement. AU partnered with The University of Aberdeen (Scotland), Robert Gordon University and the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy to produce a virtual international rural health symposium, which provided the opportunity for health care professionals from many backgrounds to share their perspectives on rural health challenges through the lens of education and workforce preparation. 

Here is a look at the largest events of the fourth quarter:

Strategic Plan Kickoff Celebration

OPSE partnered with Institutional Effectiveness and Communications & Marketing to plan and hold an entertaining outdoor celebration to officially kick off Augusta University's new strategic plan, Creating a Legacy Like No Other. The festivities at the D. Douglas Bernard Amphitheatre on the Summerville Campus were attended by over 350 faculty, staff, community partners and friends, as well as AU mascot Augustus and the AU cheerleaders. Attendees were treated to a variety of food, sweet treats, music, a photo booth and Jag swag giveaways as they learned more about the strategic plan and the leaders, champions and supporters who helped bring it to fruition. A video and photo gallery is posted here in Jagwire.

Spring 2022 Commencement

Protocol and Special Events partnered with the Registrar’s Office to produce three successful Spring commencement ceremonies over two days, in two different locations. Tammy Berry (OPSE) and Heather Metress (Registrar's Office) co-chaired the Commencement Logistics Planning Committee, which is responsible for planning and managing numerous event logistics, securing vendors and day-of-event execution. More than 1,100 students participated over the three ceremonies.

New this year was the Graduate Commencement Ceremony, which combined elements of the former Graduate Hooding into a new commencement ceremony celebrating Augusta University graduate students. Undergraduate ceremonies were divided by colleges into two spring ceremonies, both held in a new venue at the Augusta Marriott Convention Center. Thanks to existing support and relationships in the local government and business community, Augusta University was able to secure Dave Brendza, division vice president of Automated Data Processing (ADP), and Columbia County Commissioner Doug Duncan as the spring commencement speakers. The university is most grateful to Brendza and Commissioner Duncan for sharing your time and wisdom with our graduates.

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Visit us online

706-737-1455

specialevents@augusta.edu

2022 Volunteen/VolunJag Program

COVID-19 restrictions put a damper on our volunteer programs. However, this year, Augusta University was able to welcome back its first in-person Summer Youth Program volunteers since 2019. Volunteer Services placed more than 40+ high school and college students across the university and health system. Student volunteers represent 11 high schools across CSRA and seven colleges across Georgia.

Volunteer Services also arranged exciting professional development opportunities, for these young volunteers, including:

• Personal branding.
• Time & stress management.
• Putting you best foot forward in college and graduate school admissions.
• Unique, behind-the-scenes visits with professionals in Anesthesiology and Emergency Department.

National Volunteer Week

Volunteer Services & Community Engagement hosted National Volunteer Week in April with several events. A picnic and pet therapy visit were the most popular events for volunteers. Volunteers across all campuses were recognized for their dedicated service to our No. 1 priority. Augusta University is fortunate to have such a large pool of volunteers to assist in improving the patient and student experience at AU and AU Health.

Shepeard Community Blood Center Partnership
We told you about several blood drives in the first issue of The Bridge. The need for donor blood has continued, and Volunteer Services & Community Engagement continued to heed the call. In fact, since January, Volunteer Services & Community Engagement with help from the Office of Protocal & Special Events teamed up to schedule more than a dozen blood drives across AU campuses. Shepeard Community Blood Center was able to collect more than 500 units of blood, enough to aid about 1,500 patients. This includes emergent needs of patients in our own hospitals – AU Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia. This is not only an important collaboration, but a lifesaving one.

Thanks to Tina Baggott and her team in Volunteer Services and Community Engagement for coordinating these volunteer opportunities, as well as many meaningful community engagement activities like our annual Day of Service and campus blood drives during fiscal year 2022.

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Visit us online

706-721-3596

volunteers@augusta.edu