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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Susan Tornquist, who has been interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine  at Oregon State University since October of 2013, has been named dean of the college.

Tornquist has been on the faculty at Oregon State since 1996 and previously was associate dean of student and academic affairs in the college, where she also is a professor of clinical pathology.

"Sue Tornquist has been a very effective leader for the College of Veterinary Medicine over the past 17 months, and has demonstrated that she has the very best interests of the college at heart and the skill set for enhancing the college's education, clinical services, research and outreach," said Sabah Randhawa, OSU's provost and executive vice president.

While Tornquist was interim dean, the college surpassed its fund-raising goal of $47 million through The Campaign for OSU; again received full accreditation in 2014 from the American Veterinary Medicine Association; launched a new graduate program in comparative health sciences; and saw the class of 2014 achieve a 100 percent pass rate for the national board exam for veterinarians.

Tornquist said the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine has a bright future.

"We are looking forward to great opportunities for research and strengthened clinical capabilities in oncology and infectious diseases and continued collaboration with Oregon Humane Society in providing experiential learning opportunities for veterinary students while providing needed veterinary services for animals in need," Tornquist said.

"There are also new opportunities and initiatives in One Health for undergraduate students," she added. "We hope to see expansion in both instructional and clinical facilities in the next five years."

As associate dean, Tornquist helped the college grow its enrollment, coordinate student internships, build partnerships with the Oregon Humane Society and other organizations, and make student experiential learning a hallmark of the program.

Tornquist received her veterinary medical degree from Colorado State University and her doctorate in veterinary pathology from Washington State University. Her research interests have focused on immune responses to infectious and metabolic diseases in animals, particularly llama and alpacas.

Before coming to Oregon State, she was on the veterinary medicine faculty at Washington State University from 1990-96. She also has been a research associate in New Mexico's Veterinary Diagnostic Services office; an associate veterinarian in private practice in New Mexico; and a teaching and research assistant at the University of New Mexico.

Tornquist succeeds Cyril Clarke as dean, who resigned in 2013 to become dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.