Kelly steps down at Penn's veterinary school

PHILADELPHIA-The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's longest-serving dean will step down in October to rejoin the faculty. Dr. Alan M. Kelly will have served as dean for 12 years when he steps down in October, which coincides with a deadline for a Kresge Foundation challenge grant.

"We've got $8 million to go, and I'm not about to walk out on that until we meet our goal," Kelly says.

Kresge will pony up $1.5 million if the university hits its $13-million goal, which will be allocated for capital improvements and facilities construction.

Kelly will take a year-long sabbatical before he begins a teaching assignment. Though he doesn't have any concrete plans for his hiatus, he says he is "wallowing in the wonderful idea that I can do whatever I want."

One of his post-dean missions is to elevate the status of the profession in the public's eye by touting the myriad societal contributions made through epidemiology, research and public health.

"One of my ambitions is to produce a video about the history of veterinary medicine," he says. "It's a wonderful profession with a rich history that hasn't enjoyed enough credit. We have failed to celebrate huge accomplishments and contributions to society, like the fact that we controlled tuberculosis."

Though Kelly declined to suggest possible successors, he says the incoming dean must work diligently to maintain the fundraising machine that Kelly helped build.

"We've developed a good potential in fund raising, and my successor is going to have to work hard to keep that momentum; private philanthropy is going to be hugely important."

During Kelly's tenure, he has secured $50 million for a new teaching and research building and spearheaded a $100-million campaign slated for completion in 2006. He also has overseen the veterinary school's growth in National Institutes of Health funding from $7.4 million to $17.8 million, and private research money has more than doubled to $25.2 million during his tenure, according to Amy Gutmann, university president. During the past 10 years, the school's state appropriation has grown from $11 million to $37.3 million.

Moving forward

Among the challenges facing the profession, the academic community must do a better job securing private and public funds to assure research and training opportunities, Kelly says, as well as getting a handle on the emerging threats of zoonotic diseases, drug resistance and protecting the country's food supply.

"We need some federal support to keep pace with the need for veterinarians across the country," he says.

A search committee is forming to seek the school's new dean, Gutmann says.