AUGUSTA, GA. (WJBF) – Spring classes are over, but leaders at Augusta University are still finding ways to improve school performance help the university grow. They explained how today during the State of the University address.  

With the upcoming school year comes along new and improved programs that students will have the chance of diving into, and Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel announced what those might be. 

Doctor Keel announced some of AU’s newest additions like the School of Public health and the expansion of MCG’s soon-to-be newest location at Georgia Southern.

“By using some of the physical plant that Georgia Southern  has at the Armstrong campus, there– almost directly across the street from St. Joe Candler, we can now set up this partnership campus using the Athens model, have medical students. Spend their all four years at that location.”

But he explains growth is not just about getting more students on campus, but rather providing better services to the students that are already there.

“We really are in a place where we can’t offer the type of amenities that most students need and want at a large university. Yes, we have a couple dormitories, yes, we have some dining, but it’s not where it needs to be and in order for you to get the contracts to make it affordable so you can have these sort of dining room facilities, you have to have a sheer volume, a sheer enough of students,” Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel said.

And aside from what AU can do for its on-campus students, school administration wants to reach beyond the campus and into partnerships with Columbia County Public Schools. 

“So, this takes this dual enrollment process and puts our instructors where the students are. Puts our instructors in the high schools, teaches the students in the high school the courses that they need, and then once they get those course credits, they can transfer those to anywhere they wanna go,” Dr. Keel said.

Dr. Keel tells me though he is happy about the growth that everyone can see now, he’s excited about the ideas administration is currently working on. 

“So, I think that it’s not just about getting bigger for the sake of getting bigger, it’s getting bigger, so we have more resources and more opportunities to provide more types of things that our students want from an amenity point of view and also from an educational point of view too.”

Augusta University’s main goal is the overall growth of its institution no matter what part of Georgia or educational program, starting with its students first.