Why they’re smiling at the Dental School
(Sept. 22, 2008) After 18 months of preparation, the School of Dental Medicine has re-earned accreditation – a feat that may not be surprising but is nonetheless a reason to smile.
“Because this process has required different groups of faculty, staff, and students to review our mission areas from many perspectives, the process has been an enriching one that has resulted in growth,” Dean Denise Kassebaum said in a letter to faculty and staff.
After its site visit last week, the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation had no recommendations for the school. For anyone uninitiated, accreditation entails gathering, checking, and assembling reams of documentation about every aspect of the school—educational programs, clinics, curriculum, and how the school gathers feedback from patients—as well as arranging for on-the-spot interviews and escorting visitors through the school.
“Figuratively, we got an A,” said Mike Cobb, the school’s director of communications, who was part of the team responsible for gathering and assembling much of the information the site visitors would pore over during their visit Sept. 16 - 18. “It’s also easy to make a great impression on visitors with the School of Dental Medicine’s inviting building on a modern health sciences campus.”