Wilbert Mcleod (Wib) Chapman (1910—1970) succeeded Dr. Thompson as Director of the School in 1947. Dr. Chapman (Fig. 5), who studied under Thompson, was a man of boundless intellectual energy. In the early post-war years, enrollment in the School had increased markedly. In the 1948—1949 academic year, 110 undergraduate and 40 graduate students were registered. Chapman immediately undertook the revision of the curriculum (Table 4). He also sought to increase the faculty and to significantly expand the Fishery Technology Program.

Chapman, however, took leave of absence from the University in the summer of 1948 to become Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Fish and Wildlife; he did not return to the University. He later became Director of Research for the Van Camp Seafood Company where he became an intellectual force in fisheries policy for some years. Richard Van Cleve (1906—1984), a Seattle native and also a student of Thompson, was appointed Director of the School upon the departure of Chapman.

Dr. Van Cleve (Fig. 6) oversaw tremendous growth in the number of students enrolled after World War II. He was also Director during the beginnings of the era of the "Research University" at the UW.

Van Cleve inherited the Fishery Technology Program designed by his predecessor, Chapman. Upon Van Cleve’s arrival, the faculty was small (Fig. 7) and Van Cleve initially hired professors to launch the Food Science Program. He also used guest lecturers from the International Pacific Halibut Commission and other local fisheries agencies. The new Fisheries Center was occupied in 1950 (Fig. 8), providing the School with much needed space.

Beginning in the 1960s, research funding by the federal government increased markedly. This became the impetus for the "Research University." Accordingly, during the Van Cleve era the faculty of the College of Fisheries grew and the number of grants and contracts, especially those that supported graduate students, increased substantially. The support of a large number of graduate students required a rather high level of continuous outside funding.

During this period several new programs were established in the School. The Food Science Program was redeveloped. The UW created an Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) in 1969 with Dr. John Liston (1926—) as Director. Seafood technology was initially emphasized but, with time, expertise in the Institute widened—for example, new products from wheat extracts were investigated.

The University of Washington was named a Sea Grant College in 1971, based on the National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966. The purpose of Sea Grant was to solve applied research problems and to provide advisory services related to marine resources. Aquaculture, resource assessment, and marine engineering were areas supported by Sea Grant. Although Sea Grant organizationally existed outside the School of Fisheries, much of the funding obtained by Sea Grant was generated by grants received by faculty members. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administered the funding for Sea Grant. Dr. Stanley Reed Murphy (1924—2000) was the initial Director of Sea Grant.

A Cooperative Fishery Research Unit had been housed in the School since 1966. The Unit originally functioned from 1967—1988 under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, UW School of Fisheries, and the Washington Departments of Ecology, Game (subsequently changed to Wildlife), Fisheries (changed to Fish & Wildlife in 1996), and Natural Resources. The purpose of the Unit was to promote cooperation among participants in both education and research. Each of the State participants provided some financial support to the Unit. Dr. Richard Ralph Whitney (1927—) was the initial leader of the Unit until his retirement in 1984. In 1988, the Unit became a combined Fish and Wildlife Unit and began to include studies of wildlife.

The Center for Quantitative Sciences in Fisheries, Forestry, and Wildlife (CQS) was formed in 1968 with Dr. Douglas George Chapman (1920—1996) as Director. The College of Fisheries and the College of Forest Resources established the Center as an interdisciplinary organization. The CQS offered an innovative approach to quantitative problems in resource management and used faculty from both Colleges.

Dr. Van Cleve retired in 1971, having served as Director for over 20 years. He oversaw tremendous growth in the School, with increases in student enrollment, number of faculty, and the budget. According to Stickney (1989), there were 91 students enrolled in Fisheries in 1954. By the fall of 1970 there were 168 undergraduates and 130 graduate students enrolled for a total of 298 students. Van Cleve guided the revision of the curriculum that significantly enhanced course offerings. The operating budget of the School increased, due mainly to research contracts. Contracts accounted for as much as 80% of the Fisheries budget during this era. The number of faculty increased from 7 in 1948 to 49 in 1971 (Stickney 1989).

Dr. Van Cleve was much "in the mold" of his mentor, Dr. Thompson. A strong and focused individual, Van Cleve was a major figure in the development of the School as a leader in fisheries science and education.

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