After six candidates to become the next president of Georgia Southern University visited Statesboro and the campus during the past month, the Georgia Board of Regents has narrowed the field to three finalists.
Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr., chair of the Special Regents' Committee for GSU's presidential search, and University System of Georgia executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer Susan Herbst announced the names of the three finalists on Thursday:
- Dr. David Belcher, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, since July 2003.
- Dr. Brooks A. Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development and professor of biological sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, since 2006.
- Dr. Kathleen Long, associate provost, since 2008 and dean of the College of Nursing, since 1995, University of Florida, Gainesville.
A national search was launched to replace Georgia Southern President Bruce Grube, who will step down as president, effective Dec. 31. Dr. Grube has served as president since July 1, 1999.
David Belcher
Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Belcher was dean of Missouri State University's College of Arts and Letters, Springfield, from 1994-2003. His professional career began in 1988 at Missouri State University where he served as assistant dean, College of Arts and Letters (1994-2003) and coordinator of keyboard studies (1989-1992).
A pianist, Belcher has appeared throughout the United States as recitalist and chamber musician and was a 2006 participant in the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Mass. In 1981, Belcher was awarded a Rotary Foundation Graduate Fellowship to study in Vienna, Austria. He holds degrees from Furman University, Greenville, S.C., the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.
Brooks Keel
Prior to his current appointments, Dr. 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).
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.
Kathleen Long
Prior to her current appointments, Long was dean and professor in psychiatric nursing at Montana State University, Bozeman, from 1990-1995. She has been actively involved in baccalaureate and higher degree education for more than 20 years, serving as a faculty member, administrator and consultant at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Husson College, Bangor, Maine and Montana State University, Bozeman. Long served as president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing from 2002-2004, in addition to serving several terms on its board of directors.
Long received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and earned a master's degree in nursing from Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich. specializing in child psychiatric nursing and nursing education. She earned her PhD in behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Long is an elected member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Kappa Phi and Delta Omega honorary societies.
The Board of Regents expects to name the next president of Georgia Southern University at a future meeting.
Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr., chair of the Special Regents' Committee for GSU's presidential search, and University System of Georgia executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer Susan Herbst announced the names of the three finalists on Thursday:
- Dr. David Belcher, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, since July 2003.
- Dr. Brooks A. Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development and professor of biological sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, since 2006.
- Dr. Kathleen Long, associate provost, since 2008 and dean of the College of Nursing, since 1995, University of Florida, Gainesville.
A national search was launched to replace Georgia Southern President Bruce Grube, who will step down as president, effective Dec. 31. Dr. Grube has served as president since July 1, 1999.
David Belcher
Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Belcher was dean of Missouri State University's College of Arts and Letters, Springfield, from 1994-2003. His professional career began in 1988 at Missouri State University where he served as assistant dean, College of Arts and Letters (1994-2003) and coordinator of keyboard studies (1989-1992).
A pianist, Belcher has appeared throughout the United States as recitalist and chamber musician and was a 2006 participant in the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Mass. In 1981, Belcher was awarded a Rotary Foundation Graduate Fellowship to study in Vienna, Austria. He holds degrees from Furman University, Greenville, S.C., the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.
Brooks Keel
Prior to his current appointments, Dr. 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).
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.
Kathleen Long
Prior to her current appointments, Long was dean and professor in psychiatric nursing at Montana State University, Bozeman, from 1990-1995. She has been actively involved in baccalaureate and higher degree education for more than 20 years, serving as a faculty member, administrator and consultant at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Husson College, Bangor, Maine and Montana State University, Bozeman. Long served as president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing from 2002-2004, in addition to serving several terms on its board of directors.
Long received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and earned a master's degree in nursing from Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich. specializing in child psychiatric nursing and nursing education. She earned her PhD in behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Long is an elected member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Kappa Phi and Delta Omega honorary societies.
The Board of Regents expects to name the next president of Georgia Southern University at a future meeting.