New Facility Construction Update
Construction is on target for the January 1, 2008 School of Dentistry move to 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard!  Demolition of certain areas of the inside of the former Kindred Hospital had to take place before construction could begin.  We are pleased to report that the required demolition of the interior is complete, electrical and mechanicals are well underway, and the building is taking shape as walls are being constructed.  Our new dental campus has two buildings situated on two city blocks comprising 12 acres.  The clinic building (211,000 square feet) will house the clinic and clinic support services, the dental library, a cafeteria, faculty and staff offices, conference rooms, and a gross anatomy lab.  The classroom building (50,000 square feet) will contain four 120-seat classrooms, two 35-seat classrooms, and seven breakout/conference rooms with multi-media capability.  View photos of the construction.

School of Dentistry Receives Full Accreditation and Commendations
Accreditation is a process of peer review that the dental educational community utilizes to evaluate its programs.  It is a voluntary process intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of predoctoral, hygiene and graduate dental educational programs.

The School of Dentistry completed a very successful site visit March 27-29, 2007.  Preparation of the self-study report involved faculty, staff, students and administrators over an 18 month period. All programs within the dental School utilized the standards outlined by the Commission as a framework for evaluation. Written reports for all programs were drafted and discussed throughout the preparation period. Following a collaborative process of review and input, the report was submitted to the American Dental Association in January, 2007. The entire self-study report was comprised of 23 volumes of material!

The self-study process provides an opportunity for the School to evaluate key aspects critical to its success including institutional effectiveness, the educational process and outcomes, facilities, finances, faculty, staff, and research.  Consultants from the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation visited the School and met with faculty, staff, and students as well as toured the Outer Drive and University Health Center facilities. Based on the self-study report and visit, the School received an excellent accreditation report. The site visitors, in addition to confirming the School met all the standards for accreditation in all programs, noted 13 commendations that included the dental hygiene, predoctoral and graduate programs.

2007 Alumni Weekend a Success!
Coming Home was the theme of this year’s Alumni Weekend held at the Ford Motor Company Event and Conference Center.  The 6th annual Alumni Day was held on Friday, April 20 and the 4th annual Alumni Auction was held on Saturday, April 21, 2007.  Alumni Day included continuing education, alumni recognition, student table clinic presentations and School of Dentistry Updates.  The Alumni Auction included a live auction and an extensive silent auction with a strolling dinner.  Proceeds from the auction will benefit the new School of Dentistry facility.  View photos of Alumni Weekend.

MDA Alumni Reception Held at Opus One
Over 40 UDM Alumni joined Dean Steiman for a reception at the Opus One restaurant after a busy day at the MDA meetings in May.  Join us for the UDM reception at the upcoming ADA meeting in September! Click here for details.

Thumbs Up!
Join us in congratulating the following School of Dentistry faculty that were recently honored: Dr. George Goodis, part-time faculty, Department of Endodontics, Diane Hoelscher, Chairperson, Patient Management, John Molinari, Chairperson, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Pamela Zarkowski, Executive Associate Dean.  Click here for details.

Jane York Retires
Please join us in wishing Associate Dean Jane York well as she transitions into phased retirement.  Dean York has served the School with honor and distinction in a variety of roles and responsibilities since becoming a member of the Department of Dental Hygiene more than thirty years ago. Since 1998, she has worked tirelessly to advocate for and improve the educational experience of our students. Her efforts are gratefully appreciated and will be greatly missed.  Dean York will continue to work on special projects for the School of Dentistry and assist in the transition when a Director of Student Affairs is named.

School of Dentistry Promotes First Annual Oral Cancer Walk
On June 2, 2007, the School of Dentistry Student National Dental Association (SNDA) co-sponsored Detroit's first annual Oral Cancer Walk in downtown Detroit.  The purpose of the walk is to raise awareness of the disease which, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation, kills someone every hour of every day in the U.S. alone.  Free oral cancer screenings were available at the walk's start site at Woodward Ave. and Montcalm St. near Comerica Park.

Pamela Zarkowski named UDM Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., Ph.D., President, University of Detroit Mercy announced on June 20, 2007 that effective immediately, Pamela Zarkowski, JD, MPH, Executive Associate Dean in the School of Dentistry, will become Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.  As the school year progresses, President Stockhausen will evaluate the process for filling the position permanently as well as the timing of that decision.  As Dean Zarkowski assumes this increased level of leadership responsibility for the University of Detroit Mercy, this summer she will be transitioning and will fulfill her academic responsibilities at the School of Dentistry.