One month after taking office as Keck Graduate Institute’s new president, Dr. Mohamed Abousalem discusses his reflections, what he’s looking forward to as the semester starts, and his vision for KGI.
You began your role as KGI’s president on July 1 – just over one month ago. How have these first 30 days been?
My time at KGI so far has been incredible, thanks to the warm welcome I’ve received from everyone I’ve had the opportunity to meet. All professional transitions involve learning and adapting as you have to get accustomed to a different environment, organizational culture, and way of working, but the faculty and staff at KGI have already made me feel at home.
The biggest highlight of my first 30 days was connecting with KGI’s wonderful community. I was very pleased to meet many KGI faculty and staff members at the dessert social held on my second day on campus. I was immediately struck by the warmth, intellect, and curiosity that are core parts of KGI’s culture. I launched a listening and learning tour and established office hours to connect with different departments and cross-functional groups in order to learn about the priorities, challenges, and areas of opportunity across the campus.
Although there aren’t as many students on campus over the summer, I was able to meet with the president of the KGI Student Government, and we have established a regular cadence to connect during the school year. I even had the chance to engage with some of our graduates who came back to campus to share their stories with the students in our summer program. Finally, I also connected with the Board of Trustees, who have consistently demonstrated their deep passion for KGI and their sincere interest in our success.
How has the listening and learning tour progressed? What have you gleaned about KGI’s community?
KGI is fortunate to have such dedicated students, faculty, and staff. As a leader of a complex institution – as colleges almost always are – it’s critical to identify how all the various pieces function and then work to focus them toward a shared vision that elevates us to the next level. So far, the listening and learning tour has included department meetings, cross-functional roundtable discussions, academic program reviews, and one-on-one meetings with staff, faculty, and Trustees. It has been a wonderful way for me to hear directly from our faculty and staff about their operations and priorities, learn about their KGI experiences, and uncover patterns that emerge, which will serve as the foundation for our success. I can’t wait for the students to come back to campus so I can connect with them and the Student Government to learn more about their experiences and the opportunities for us to support their development.
One thing that I’ve quickly observed from the conversations I’ve had so far is the shared passion of KGI’s faculty and staff for the Institute and everything it represents – from the active teaching and public-impact research to our outsized global footprint – and the vast opportunity ahead of us. It’s clear that KGI is, indeed, a special institution. It’s a true honor and privilege for me to work alongside people elevating our excellence in academics and research, advancing industry and preparing the next generation of bioscience and healthcare leaders.
With these learnings in mind, have you aligned on a few top priorities for the year ahead?
The listening and learning tour has been instrumental in helping me understand the goals, aspirations, and challenges of the KGI community, which will inform our next steps. It’s critical that any institutional vision grows out of the community's input. It’s still ongoing, but I’m excited about our future.
We are in a pivotal moment for KGI. Yes, there are headwinds across higher education more broadly, but we are also supporting the institution’s shift from youth to maturity. As part of this, it’s important to consider opportunities and challenges from every angle in order to build the systems needed to effectively advance our development and long-term stability. Academic excellence will always be at the core of our purpose and the center of our focus.
With the strength of KGI’s faculty, the rigor of the active learning curriculum, and the talented study body, I see immense potential for growth across academic programs, student enrollment, research capabilities, and industry partnerships. Many of my meetings have also touched on one of our notable challenges, which is that the world does not know what KGI is. While this isn’t unexpected given our young age for an academic institution, it speaks to the need for a focused approach to building the Institute's brand, emphasizing our strengths, and sharing our excellence more intentionally with the whole world.
What is your vision for KGI in the long term?
Over the past three decades, KGI has gone from one program with 60 students to a dozen programs with more than 600 students. It’s an extremely exciting moment – the foundation is in place, and we now have the opportunity to lean into our strengths, expand upon what is working well, take on challenges, and move forward with purpose.
One of the things that has been abundantly clear in my early meetings is the entrepreneurial spirit here at KGI. We are more nimble and flexible than many other higher education institutions, so we can embrace a culture of continuous improvement in everything that we do. Over the next few years, I envision an institution renowned for its world-class healthcare, biotechnology, and research capabilities. I see KGI delivering excellence for the benefit of our local and global communities – through a mature, sustainable operation and a future-focused approach to education that meets the needs of students, industry partners, and society as a whole.
Classes will begin at the end of the month. What are you most looking forward to as students return to campus?
I’ve added photos of KGI students in the classroom, in the lab and at commencement to one of the walls in my office. These photos are a constant reminder to me and my guests of who we serve. Supporting and enhancing the KGI student experience through academic excellence and career opportunities is at the heart of my role and all of the faculty and staff’s roles. Students bring so much energy to campus, and I can’t wait to welcome them back and connect with them in a variety of ways. I look forward to learning about their ambitions and experiences to ensure that we provide them with the excellence they seek from KGI.