Ralph C. Richardson has announced his plans to step down as dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine no later than July 2015. He will then assume a faculty position.

Richardson became the college’s 11th dean in summer 1998 after serving as the head of the clinical sciences department at Purdue University.

“I plan to continue in a faculty role with the college and the university, hoping to use my abilities in program building and my background in comparative medicine to continue strengthening collaborative programs that benefit K-State, Richardson said. I have a real sense of urgency to see our plans for the future become reality, but I want the college and the university to have plenty of time to conduct an orderly search for my replacement.”

Under Richardson, enrollment in the veterinary college saw controlled growth from a graduating class of 79 students in 1998 to a current class size of 112 for each incoming class. More than $72 million has been raised in private support for the college, including the creation of 150 scholarships and seven permanently endowed professorships.