An alumnus of the College of Veterinary Medicine will soon lead the college during a time of growth and transition.

Pat Halbur, who was named the interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, will replace Lisa Nolan, who has been the dean for the past six years. Nolan is moving on this summer to become the dean of veterinary medicine at her alma mater, the University of Georgia.

Halbur earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1986 and doctorate in veterinary pathology in 1995 form Iowa State. He has also served at the university as a professor, chair of veterinary diagnostic and animal medicine and executive director of the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, according to the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Halbur’s experience as a student, professor, researcher, director, chair and professional practitioner will assist him in adjusting to his new role as interim dean and help the college continue to be a leader in the field of veterinary medicine.

“The most important thing we do is produce practicing veterinarians,” Halbur said. “I spent 15 years back here in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory working with practitioners and teaching students while coordinating cases, extremely valuable experience keeping connected to the industry, growing the service unit and building that caseload to provide world-class teaching opportunities for our students.”

The time Halbur has spent working with the diagnostic lab will be invaluable, as he will help lead the effort to push for the funding of the proposed expansion and renovation of the lab.

“The lab is critically important for the state’s economy,” Halbur said.

The diagnostic lab processes 70,000 to 80,000 cases each year and conducts 1.5 million tests annually, which help protect animal and human health, according to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Iowa Board of Regents approved the proposal to request a state commitment of $20 million per year for five years starting in fiscal year 2018.

However, the project has not been included in the capital budget section of the 2018-19 Budget in Brief, according to the brief published by the Iowa Department of Management on January 10, 2017.  

“The need has clearly been identified by our peers who come here and do our accreditation, it’s clearly identified by our university leaders as a top priority and recognized as the same by the Board of Regents,” Halbur said. “And I think the Legislature understands it as well. It is just an unusually tough economic time.”

The diagnostic lab’s impact on Iowa agriculture generates enough tax receipts to repay a $124 million state investment in two years under normal circumstances and in less than one year in an animal-health emergency, according to an economic contribution study of the diagnostic laboratory.

In addition to funding the diagnostic lab project, Halbur has a few more goals to achieve during his time as dean.

“The big one is successful re-accreditation of the college,” Halbur said. “It happens every seven years and it’s a healthy process but it is a rigorous process. The dean is ultimately responsible for the college’s budget, making sure that the resources we have are used appropriately and also responsible for bringing in new ideas for generating revenue in other ways besides tuition and research grants.”

During his time at Iowa State, Halbur has received numerous honors and awards for his patents and research with animal diseases, including a recent induction into the National Academy of Inventors.

Halbur will become the acting dean on June 1 and the interim dean on July 1. The search for the next permanent dean will be launched in the upcoming months, according to a press release from the College of Veterinary Medicine.