The College of Veterinary Medicine will have a new interim dean beginning Oct. 1. Norman Cheville, professor and chairman of veterinary pathology, will be filling the position. Cheville succeeds Richard Ross, who left the position to become the dean of the College of Agriculture in July. Ross said that Cheville “is an outstanding choice” for the position. “He is internationally recognized for the work he has done regarding infectious diseases in poultry and livestock,” Ross said. “His prospects are really great.” Ross said Cheville has a great track record in the Department of Veterinary Pathology as well. “He has built the Department of Veterinary Pathology a great deal,” he said. “He has recruited excellent people and established a strong program.” Cheville said he may act as interim dean for the veterinary college for up to two years, and he has several goals he wants to accomplish in that time. “We want to continue the progress that’s been made in the past,” he said. “I think with the coming year we want to impress upon the people of the state the importance of a strong veterinary school in the economy of the state.” Cheville said he would also like the college to continue its work with animal health in production and companionship. “I think we’re always concerned with animal welfare – the proper use of animals and the role animals play in companionship to others,” he said. Cheville came to Iowa State in 1995 after working for the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center for 32 years. Provost Rollin Richmond said Cheville is a great candidate for the position. He has done some excellent work in eradicating bovine brucellosis, which is comparable to pneumonia in humans, he said. Richmond said Cheville is a distinguished scholar and as a pathologist he has a sense of both the academic side and the clinical side of veterinary medicine. Richmond said this makes Cheville a good choice for the position. Cheville, who has been given national recognition for his work with the USDA, has a good base of knowledge regarding the research part of veterinary medicine as well as the application, Richmond said. “He has a good understanding of both aspects,” Richmond said. Both Ross and Richmond said Cheville should do a good job as the dean in the time it takes to fill the position. “He understands what is required of him in the time until we find a new dean,” Richmond said. Cheville was elected Distinguished Member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1999. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA in 1990. While Cheville will be kept busy in his new position in the College of Veterinary Medicine, he said he’ll still have time to do one of his favorite things. “Working with the students for sure,” he said. “I will still teach some and I enjoy that very much.”