Have you contributed time or money to your area dental school or alma mater?
In his October 2003 address to the House of Delegates, then ADA President T. Howard Jones talked about a "crisis in dental education," spotlighting faculty shortages and a critical lack of funding, among other issues. In response, the ADA is busy establishing, through the ADA Foundation, a National Endowment for Dental Education.
"The ADA Foundation is in the planning phase for a national fundraising campaign for dental education," said Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni, president of the ADA Foundation, dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific, and past president of the ADA. "Currently in draft form, the vision of the national endowment is to promote and sustain excellence in dental education. The mission of the NEDE is to support the advancement of dental education.
"Through professionwide collaborative activities of its coalition partners, this initiative will benefit the public’s oral health by providing dental schools and students with funds for academic development, endowed faculty positions, student scholarships and community outreach," Dr. Dugoni continued.
For more information about the ADA Foundation’s national endowment initiative, go to "www.adafoundation.org" or call 1-312-440-2547 or the toll-free number on the back of your membership card and ask for Ext. 2547.
When asked if they have contributed time or money to their area dental schools or alma maters, 78 percent of respondents to December JADA’s Question of the Month said yes. "My commitment to my dental school in both time and money is a personal sense of thanks for a great career," said one.
About half of the respondents said they have donated time. "For several years, I worked on the clinic floor with junior and senior students," said one. "But then time ran out, and I had to resign. I sure do miss the students."
"I was an adjunct faculty member for approximately 15 years," said another. "My costs due to my being out of the office have been approximately $250,000."
Among the respondents who donated money, the amounts they reported varied. "Over a 50-year period, I gave about $1,000 a year," said one.
"I am pleased and proud to give $100 a year to both my local dental school and my alma mater," said another.
Others said they make donations but not as much as they would like to. "I have contributed money to my dental school, but very little considering that I am still paying off school loans," said one.
"I volunteered as a clinical instructor one day a week for nine years until my unit of the clinic was closed for economic reasons," said another.
Among the 21 percent of readers who answered no to the Question of the Month, some also cited school closings. "I did volunteer my time, but the dental school at Washington University closed," said one.
Others cited unhappy dental school experiences as discouraging them from giving time or money.
Still other respondents said they do not contribute because they still are paying off student debt.
