Former Dean, Ivan Caple retires
Press release
14 January 2008
Professor Ivan Caple, former Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science has retired, ending a long and successful teaching career that has spanned over three decades.
Born in Melbourne in 1946, his passion for animals developed while growing up on a dairy farm in Leongatha. He went on to study Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne with the help of a cadetship from the Victoria Department of Agriculture, graduating in first place with honours in 1969.
In 1970 he studied for his PhD at the University of New South Wales, returning to the Department’s Attwood Veterinary Research Laboratory in 1973, where he worked as a Veterinary Research Officer for 11 years.
His teaching at the Veterinary School commenced as a part-time lecturer in Physiology in 1974 and continued until 1979. In 1975 he also taught Physiology at the new Veterinary School in Malaysia that was established under the Colombo Plan.
In 1984 he spent a year at the University of Leeds conducting research with the support of an overseas fellowship from the Australian Meat Research Committee. In 1985, he succeeded Professor Blood as the Chair of Veterinary Medicine, and was appointed as the Dean in 1991, following the retirement of Professor Ken Jubb.
During his sixteen-year period as Dean, he steered the Faculty smoothly through a period of change and continued growth. In 1998, he initiated the development of a new curriculum and a plan to double the size of the Veterinary School.
The feedback on the revised curriculum has been extremely positive, with the degree recently being ranked by veterinary graduates as the number one degree at the University. It received high rankings in the areas of teaching, generic skills and satisfaction, highlighting the ‘outstanding’ reputation of the course among students.
Professor Caple said: “The quality of a veterinary school is judged on the performance of its graduates and how well they develop during their 40-year careers. The Faculty of Veterinary Science can be proud of its output, and I am particularly grateful for the support of the veterinary profession in Victoria, the State Government, the key animal industries, and the community for this result.”
In recent years, Professor Caple has been instrumental in expanding and developing the Faculty’s facilities to support top-class veterinary education and research in the 21st century. This included renovating the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital in Werribee, and all levels of the Veterinary Preclinical Centre building at the Parkville campus.
In addition to his service to the University and Faculty, Ivan also made significant contributions to the wider veterinary profession. This included being Chair of the National Consultative Committee of Animal Welfare; Chair of the Expert Panel in Veterinary Science; Deputy President of the Veterinary Practioners’ Registration Board of Victoria; Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the RSPCA (Australia), and a member of the Livestock Export Standards Advisory Committee.
Professor Ken Hinchcliff, who succeeded Professor Caple as Dean said: “Ivan has demonstrated a passion for veterinary education and practice that is infectious and inspirational. He was an unstinting supporter of the Faculty and under his guidance much was achieved to improve veterinary education in Victoria, and Australia.
“We are grateful for the strong and effective leadership and service he has provided during his tenure. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
Professor Caple officially stepped down as Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science in December 2006, with his retirement from the University effective as of 21 December 2007.
For further information please contact Andrea Jones, Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: ajone@unimelb.edu.au