|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ECU eyeing dental school
By Kelly Soderlund, The Daily Reflector
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
ECU trustees decided to take a second shot at a dental school on Tuesday, voting to study the feasibility of a rural training program that foregoes research.
The unanimous vote allows the Division of Health Sciences to study establishing a school that will focus on getting dental students into the field in underserved areas and poor counties of eastern North Carolina.
Officials will hire a consultant to conduct the study, which will determine the need for such a program, calculate a cost for the school and figure out how a dental school would be structured within the Brody School of Medicine system, Jim Talton, chairman of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees, said.
The UNC Board of Governors rejected ECU's 2002 proposal, which called for a research-intensive program similar to one at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
At $100 million, the Board of Governors said the plan was too expensive and wouldn't help enough people.
The new focus may fare better with the state board, officials said Tuesday.
"I think it has a better chance of being approved," Dr. Michael Lewis, vice chancellor for health sciences, said. "The shortage of dentists in underserved counties has gotten worse."
Lewis hopes to have a proposal ready for the Board of Governors and the General Assembly by the end of the year.
If approved, he'd like the school up and running in the next four to five years, depending on money.
"I would think funding would be a challenge for the next couple of years because of the state's economy," Lewis said. "But at least if there's planning money for the school, we could jump-start the process."
Lewis said having more dentists in rural areas will help more people pay attention to oral health. "Obviously one of the keys to that is making sure we have enough dentists," he said.
The previous proposal failed, Lewis said, because it mirrored the research-based program at Chapel Hill – the state's only dental school.
In addition to training dentists, the school at Chapel Hill takes on many research topics, such as studying how gum disease affects the rest of the body.
"They are a more traditional school with larger subspecialty groups, a more research emphasis as opposed to a community-based school, which our emphasis is going to be on training dentists who are willing to practice in the region," Lewis said.
"There's a huge maldistribution of dentists in the state. They're concentrated in the populous areas; the more well-to-do areas."
The intent is not to compete with Chapel Hill's dental school but to complement it by helping facilitate research on populations in the eastern part of the state, Lewis said.
"This is no intent to damage Chapel Hill," Lewis said.
"We're proud of that institution. We would hope that we could come up with the type of dental school that could cooperate with them in many, many ways."
ECU already offers a dental residency program to students in the Brody School of Medicine.
In other business:
n The board voted to established a conference introducing all freshmen to leadership opportunities at the university before classes start in August.
Explore ECU will be held Aug. 21, and students will learn about enhancing their leadership skills and how they can serve society.
The effort is part of Chancellor Steve Ballard's initiative to make ECU a premiere university in terms of leadership training.
Garrie Moore, vice chancellor for student life, and his staff made a presentation to the board on how the university will move forward in creating leadership opportunities for students.
"After we introduce the freshmen students to the idea that they will be engaged in a series of leadership opportunities at East Carolina University, they will be involved in a series of workshops," Moore said.
In addition to having courses and grades listed on college transcripts, ECU will now list any leadership activities students took part in, Moore said.
"They could use this instrument to help them in their employment and even going to graduate school," Moore said.
Students can take a leadership course, minor in leadership studies, or take part in the chancellor's leadership academy.
Ballard's 10-year goal is for ECU's leadership programs to be recognized as essential elements for successful undergraduate education.
n The board voted unanimously to increase parking fines from $15 to $20 for those who park in an unauthorized zone.
Kelly Soderlund can be contacted at ksoderlund@coxnews.com and 329-9568. |
|
|
|
|
