The deans at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine will leave their posts in 2005.

The University of Pennsylvania announced on Dec. 1 that Dr. Alan M. Kelly, the dean of the veterinary school for nearly 12 years, will step down as dean on Oct. 1, 2005. At that time, Dean Kelly, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine, will begin a yearlong sabbatical before returning to the faculty.

During his tenure, Dean Kelly helped improve the school's finances and directed much-needed facilities renovation and construction projects, according to the school. Dean Kelly, who earned his veterinary degree from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom in 1962 and his doctorate in pathology from Penn in 1967, has a long history with the veterinary school. He joined the faculty in 1968, chaired the Department of Pathobiology, and was appointed dean in 1994. He is a renowned researcher of muscle diseases and a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Dr. Keith W. Prasse, who has served as the dean of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine for eight years, has announced he will retire from the university Feb. 28, 2005. An interim dean will be appointed while a national search for a new dean is conducted.

Dean Prasse has been a member of the college faculty since 1972 and served as associate dean for six years prior to his appointment as dean in July 1996. He received his DVM degree in 1965 and a doctorate in pathology, both from Iowa State University. During his tenure as dean, sponsored research revenue increased from $2.6 million to $11.2 million per year, and gifts and pledges to the college from more than $900,000 to more than $7 million per year. Dean Prasse helped to oversee several important construction and renovation projects. Additionally, a more flexible curriculum for veterinary students was adopted, dual-degree programs were created, the selection process was improved, and a Food Animal Health Management Program was established to emphasize dairy, beef, and swine health and production.