I once read about a horse pull in Canada where workers hitched one draft horse that pulled 9,000 pounds with another strong horse that pulled 8,000 pounds. The workers figured the two of them together could pull 17,000 pounds. They loaded their sled with 17,000 pounds of material and attached the two horses. To their amazement, the horses almost ran away with the load without any signs of struggle. The workers kept adding bags of supplies and testing their strength to see what an appropriate load would be for them to carry. Do you know how much those two horses pulled together? Those two mighty creatures pulled 30,000 pounds, over three times what either horse could pull separately.
We have many people and organizations like those Canadian workhorses within Augusta University, AU Health, the CSRA and beyond. Our goal for Augusta University is to engage and partner with our local, state, federal, and global communities to accomplish great things that none of us could achieve alone. The team at Augusta University works every day with our stakeholders to build bridges and future partners that will collectively move our university and community forward. The past several months have been focused on enhancing our engagement efforts and spreading the good news of Augusta University.
TheExternal Relations teamworked with numerous internal and external stakeholders this summer to initiate the firstannual President’s Summer Tour. This year, we chose Savannah and Brunswick for the tour, and we had such a great experience. We met with numerous stakeholders ranging from alumni and donors to civic clubs and media outlets to inform them of all of the exciting and innovative advances at Augusta University including:
MCG 3+ Program(Thank you to Governor Brian Kemp, the Georgia General Assembly, the MCG Foundation, and donors like Centene/Peach State Health Plan, the Hearst Foundations, Georgia Community Foundation, Dr. Yekeen Aderibigbe, Dr. Thomas “Tom” Jr. (MD’01) and Julie Bradbury, Dr. James (MD ’08) and Amelia Callaway, Dr. John Darden, (MD ’71),Dr. J. Roy Rowland, (MD ’52), Dr. George (MD ’55) and Martha Sessions, Dr. George Snelling, Dr. Matthew (MD ’06) and Brooklyn Thom for making this possible.)
Our increased engagement efforts are already showing great results in our government funded appropriations and earmarks, events and volunteer programs, and community partnerships. For example, ourPhilanthropy & Alumni Engagement teamclosed out the fiscal year on June 30 with one of the best years we’ve ever had by raising over $38.5 million. I can’t thank our team enough for their hard work toward exceeding our goals and the dedication that they exemplify for AU. Eileen Brandon served as interim VP for Development during this time, and I attribute much of our collective success in this area to her leadership and resolve.
This year we are working to bring in even more resources for research, scholarships, professorships, and capital projects under the leadership of Brandon McCray. Brandon joined us Aug. 1 and has already hit the ground running. When you begin planning your end of the year philanthropic gifts, I invite you to reach out to Brandon, or feel free to visit our giving website by clickinghere. Every gift helps us serve our students and faculty and has a direct impact on our enrollment. As the number of high school graduates continues to trend downward, recruitment has become increasingly competitive. We rely on philanthropic gifts to continue serving our current students and faculty and advance our recruitment efforts to attract the very best students and faculty possible.
We continue to see gradual improvements with our student enrollment outcomes. From the Fall of 2015 to Fall of 2022, student enrollment increased by 17.7% in students going from 8,333 to approximately 9,800 (official numbers will be released in October). I would also ask for you to consider spreading the good news happening at Augusta University to your circle of friends, K-12 teachers, guidance counselors, and anyone else who will listen. As the state of Georgia’s designated health sciences university, we prepare the next generation of medical researchers and health care providers to become life-saving and life-changing contributors to humanity. Augusta University is a comprehensive research university and offers more than 150 areas of study—including cyber security, kinesiology, business, animation, andmuch more. We have a vibrantstudent lifeand we have faculty and staff who truly care for our students, patients, and each other.
The Augusta University community demonstrated this care recently during the Celebration of Life for the late Dr. William A. Bloodworth Jr., President Emeritus of Augusta State University, who passed away Aug. 29, 2022. He served Augusta State as President for over 18 years with a spirit of kindness and humility. Dr. Bloodworth was a friend to students, faculty and staff alike, and his impact will live on for generations. Our prayers are with the Bloodworth family and all who knew him.
Chancellor Sonny Perdue was formally invested as chancellor of the University System of Georgia on Sept. 9. He visited Augusta University in June and met with students, faculty, and administrators. We are all looking forward to working with him to make AU and the entire University System the best in the country.
In closing, I once read an African proverb, “If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.” I am grateful to be running with great leaders like Dr. Keel and our entire cabinet, along with the External Relations team, and people like you. Together we can run far and accomplish great things for Augusta University and our community.
Thank you for your continued support of Augusta University!
Best regards,
Russell T. Keen, EdD
Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff to the President
EVP Announcements of Note
You may read about some of these items in our team highlights, but I want to call your attention to the following:
AU held the annual Professionalism Forum for our first year Professional Students. I recommend viewingthis videoat mark 42:20 to listen to Brennan Francois deliver one of the best speeches you’ll hear this year.
The first two cohorts of Peach State Scholars are joined by representatives of the MCG Foundation and External Relations and supporters of the MCG 3+ Program.
Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement
McCray hits ground running
Brandon T. McCray, the new Vice President for Development in Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement, joined Augusta University on Aug. 1. One of the first things on the agenda for McCray (pictured with David Hess and Russell Keen) was attending a pinning ceremony of the newest cohort of Peach State Scholars. The ceremony celebrated Peach State Health Plan’s $5.2 million donation and a state match that helped launch the MCG 3+ Program, which is designed to address the urgent need for physicians in rural and underserved areas of Georgia. In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Russell Keen recognized the MCG Foundation and its donors for $8.7 million in funding to match a new state appropriation, providing a combined $17.4 million for the MCG 3+ Primary Care Pathway Program scholarships. McCray was very pleased to see the culmination of an extremely successful fiscal year, ending June 30, 2022. Fundraising totals for the fiscal year were well ahead of the goal at $38.5 million against an aggressive goal of $25 million. The number of contributing donors was 10,738, which also surpassed the FY22 goal of 10,320.
Foundation news
During FY22, the Augusta University Foundation unanimously voted to establish a $1 million board designated endowment to support needs-based scholarship awards in all of AU’s colleges and schools. Recently, AU Foundation Co-Chairs Debbie Layman and Al Harris (pictured with students) attended a Dental College of Georgia scholarship event to present the first two DCG scholars with AU Foundation awards.
In other foundation news, two new trustees have been named to the AU Foundation: Pam Doumar and Wilbur Johnson. Doumar, an AU alumna, has a history of dedicated non-profit board service, including a past term as chair of the AU Foundation. She has practiced law in both Georgia and Florida and served as a juvenile court judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Johnson, an AU alumnus and a former member of our men's basketball team, is an attorney and managing partner with Clement Rivers, LLP in Charleston. Johnson previously served as assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General of South Carolina. He, too, has extensive non-profit board service experience.
The MCG Foundation has also acquired two new members: A. Lynne Brannen, II, MD, FCCP, and Vendie H. Hooks, III, MD, FACS, FASCRS.Brannen, a 1982 graduate of MCG and former president of the MCG Alumni Association, is a founding partner of Augusta Lung Associates and serves as a clinical associate professor at MCG. Hooks, a 1974 MCG graduate, is a clinical professor of Surgery at MCG and is founder and past president of Colon and Rectal Surgery Associates in Augusta and a past president of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
Alumni and Donors in Savannah and Brunswick
The inaugural President’s Summer Tour July 18 - 22 included several visits with alumni and donors in Savannah and Brunswick as well as attending the Georgia Dental Association’s annual alumni reception followed by a dinner with GDA officers in Amelia Island, Florida. Engagements hosted by Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement ranged from one-on-one meetings with donors and alumni lunches to alumni receptions including a well-attended and successful all-alumni event at the Hitch restaurant in Savannah and student events, such as the MCG Southeast Campus Student Welcome Dinner. While in Savannah, President Keel and Pediatrician-In-Chief Dr. Valera Hudson invited Children’s Miracle Network Hospital partners in the low country to a special appreciation event to thank these businesses for their support of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. The Dairy Queen store in Glennville,Georgia, owned by Zuber Malek (pictured), raised more than $42,000 this year for Miracle Treat Day!
A volunteer interacts with an "acting" patient while training to serve in a medical setting as part of the Well-Rounded program.
Volunteer Services & Community Engagement
Simulated training builds well-rounded volunteers
Volunteer Services & Community Engagement partners with the AU Simulation Center to provide VolunJag college student volunteers and community volunteers a solid foundation in customer service, patient engagement and safety to better prepare volunteers for patient care settings such as AU Medical Center. These efforts are implemented through AU's nationally recognized training program, Well-Rounded (pictured), which is comprised of education and hands-on simulation components. The educational portion of the training teaches volunteers how to effectively greet and engage patients, while being attentive to a patient's potential needs or wants. Next, volunteers are taught proper handwashing, bed safety and contact precautions. The simulation phase of the training has volunteers "rounding" on patient actors, assisting them with common patient requests ranging from room cleanliness to dietary needs. After each patient interaction, a staff member provides real-time feedback and encouraging words to the volunteers.
Well-Rounded training sessions take place in January, March, August, and October each year. In June, training is exclusively for high school and college students participating in AU's summer youth volunteer programs. Well-Rounded allows volunteers the opportunity to practice engaging with patients and families before stepping foot in the hospital, which promotes their confidence and ownership in their roles and abilities. Volunteer Services & Community Engagement has the privilege of igniting a passion of service within our student volunteers and community while providing AU Health patients and families with a positive experience. The most recent Well-Rounded session, in mid-August, included 19 college students from across the community, seeking to gain health care knowledge and experience. Students in surrounding schools are eager to build strong connections with Augusta University while AU students are seeking more opportunities to expand their professional network through potential job shadowing, observerships, and internship opportunities.
AU Student and Community Partners
Volunteer Services and Community Engagement hosted an AU Student Service Fair on Sept. 15 at the Jaguar Student Activities Center in partnership with Student Life and Engagement. Students had the opportunity to meet and connect with representatives from the Augusta Sports Council, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, SafeHomes of Augusta, St. Joseph Hospice and other nonprofit organizations and learn about various service projects. The AU Student Service Fair allows students to learn more about the CSRA’s nonprofit community and how these groups make a difference in our region. Students were also informed about AU Days of Service and the various service projects that will be available to them during this annual November outreach event. Notably, Days of Service will also benefit several AU programs including the Open Paws Student Food Pantry, the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home and the Child Life Program at Children’s Hospital of Georgia. The connections that students make at this event will broaden their horizons beyond the AU campuses, and potentially plant seeds for future service-learning opportunities.
Simulation Center Director Justin Owen shows a team from U.S. Representative Rick Allen's office how to start an IV line.
Government Relations
Legislative team gets hands-on training
U.S. Representative Rick Allen’s legislative staff from Washington D.C., and district staff from Augusta, Statesboro and Dublin, Georgia, visited the Health Sciences Campus on Aug. 15 to better understand Augusta University's health care and education priorities. Simulation Center Director Justin Owen provided these visitors with hands-on training opportunities, including learning how to start an IV (intravenous line). This unique experience demonstrates the value of AU’s Simulation Center and the training that occurs at AU to prepare tomorrow's health care workforce. AU’s work and value to the state can be shared with constituents across the state and our expertise can be highlighted at the federal level through Rep. Allen’s position on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee.
Visit provides opportunity to say thanks
Legislative staff from the Washington, D.C., offices of U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff visited Augusta University on Aug. 17. In addition to meeting with university leaders, these guests also toured the Simulation Center, as well as the Georgia Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia. In addition, the legislative teams attended the Peach State Scholars Pinning Ceremony for the second cohort of MCG 3+ Program medical students. AU leaders were able to share their gratitude in person with Sen. Ossoff's team for the $3.5 million that he helped procure for two new MRI machines in the hospital and with Sen. Warnock's representatives for the $2.1 million appropriated for the MCG 3+ Program.
Upcoming Events GeorgiaBoard of Dentistry Meeting at theDental College of Georgia: Oct. 7
Gia Johnson, director of the Office of Protocol & Special Events stands among a group of Aberdeen University and Augusta University leaders during a visit to Scotland.
Protocol & Special Events
Scotland Delegation Trip
The Office of Protocol and Special Events was excited to be a part of the Scotland Delegation Trip on Aug. 21-28. Provost Neil MacKinnon, Medical College of Georgia Dean David Hess, College of Nursing Dean Tanya Sudia and Director of Protocol and Special Events Gia Johnson traveled to Scotland to strengthen AU’s international partnerships and ultimately enrich the experiences of Augusta University students and faculty. The trip was filled with presentations and roundtable discussions with administrators, faculty, staff and clinicians from across Scotland, all in an effort to lay more groundwork for Augusta University partnerships with Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.
In addition, the AU team conferred visiting faculty status to Professor Laura Chalmers (pictured with certificate) with Robert Gordon University and Professor James N’Dow, MD, (pictured with certificate) with the University of Aberdeen. The trip will help forge international partnerships and collaborations geared toward rural health, research, faculty and student exchanges. Prior to the trip, months of planning work by Gia Johnson, Kaylee Snead and Suzanne Tatum bridged across the ocean to connect Augusta and Scotland. All travel details, meeting itineraries, presentations and gifts were planned through virtual meetings by this AU team and their Scottish partners. The team created opportunities for strategic conversations to take place, mutual respect to grow and ideas and partnerships to develop.
Remembering Dr. Bloodworth
Upon returning to Augusta from Scotland, the Office of Protocol and Special Events team learned that (Augusta State University) President Emeritus Dr. William Bloodworth had passed away on Aug 29. The team quickly pivoted to make arrangements for a memorial event on the Summerville Campus to give Augusta University faculty, staff, students and the community an opportunity to say goodbye to this beloved leader. This beautiful Celebration of Life service held Sept. 12 bridged past and present and demonstrated the lasting influence that a president has on a university.
Bloodworth, who oversaw Augusta College’s transition to Augusta State University and served 18 years as president starting in 1993, passed away on Monday, Aug. 29 at 79.
IGIVE, Augusta University’s annual employee giving campaign runs from Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Find kickoff event schedule and donation information on the IGIVE webpage.
We have many people and organizations like those Canadian workhorses within Augusta University, AU Health, the CSRA and beyond. Our goal for Augusta University is to engage and partner with our local, state, federal, and global communities to accomplish great things that none of us could achieve alone. The team at Augusta University works every day with our stakeholders to build bridges and future partners that will collectively move our university and community forward. The past several months have been focused on enhancing our engagement efforts and spreading the good news of Augusta University.
Like
During FY22, the Augusta University Foundation unanimously voted to establish a $1 million board designated endowment to support needs-based scholarship awards in all of AU’s colleges and schools. Recently, AU Foundation Co-Chairs Debbie Layman and Al Harris (pictured with students) attended a Dental College of Georgia scholarship event to present the first two DCG scholars with AU Foundation awards. 
The inaugural 
Volunteer Services & Community Engagement 
Volunteer Services and Community Engagement hosted an AU Student Service Fair on Sept. 15 at the Jaguar Student Activities Center in partnership with Student Life and Engagement. Students had the opportunity to meet and connect with representatives from the Augusta Sports Council, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, SafeHomes of Augusta, St. Joseph Hospice and other nonprofit organizations and 
Legislative staff from the Washington, D.C., offices of U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff visited Augusta University on Aug. 17. In addition to meeting with university leaders, these guests also toured the Simulation Center, as well as the Georgia Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia. In addition, the legislative teams attended the Peach State Scholars Pinning Ceremony for the second cohort of MCG 3+ Program medical students. AU leaders were able to share their gratitude in person with Sen. Ossoff's team for the $3.5 million that he helped procure for two new MRI machines in the hospital and with Sen. Warnock's representatives for the $2.1 million appropriated for the MCG 3+ Program.
In addition, the AU team conferred visiting faculty status to Professor Laura Chalmers (pictured with certificate) with Robert Gordon University and Professor James N’Dow, MD, (pictured with certificate) with the University of Aberdeen. T
