ISSUE:   START-UP OPERATING FUNDS – ECU SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY                        

REQUIRED OUTCOME:  The new School of Dentistry at ECU must have $11 million of recurring operating funds in FY 2011 in order to open the school and begin admitting students in the fall of 2011.    

OUR CHALLENGE:   The new dental school's primary mission is to prepare the next generation of dentists to serve in the rural and underserved areas of North Carolina.  To accomplish this mission, the new dental school will do the following:  

• Recruit students from rural and underserved communities in our state;  
• Provide an innovative curriculum that gives them special knowledge and experience needed to deliver care in underserved communities;  
• Create community service learning centers to both educate the dental students and deliver much needed dental and oral health services in dentally underserved communities across North Carolina;  
• Employ about 67 faculty + over 200 staff members in Greenville and in rural communities across North Carolina;  
• Purchase services and supplies needed to operate our dental clinics from North Carolina companies.

FACING THE FACTS:  In the midst of a difficult economic time, the School of Dentistry was fortunate to receive $3 million in recurring funding last year to keep the school on track for another year.  Thus, in FY2011 a total of $11 million is required to complete the remaining funding request of the UNC Board of Governors.   In order for the dental school to be granted initial accreditation it must be able to show accreditors that it has the operating funds in place to support the dental program. 

Without these operating funds we will be unable to hire the faculty needed to create the curriculum and obtain initial accreditation, and open our doors to students.  In addition, the employees needed to support the faculty and help run the community service learning centers cannot be hired without the requested funds.  We will not be accredited without these funds.  

THE BOTTOM LINE: In spite of being one of the most populated yet rural states, North Carolina ranks 47th in the US in dentists per capita.  The diversity of NC dentists is also low.  32 out of 100 NC counties have 2 or fewer dentists per 10,000 people, and most dentists in rural communities are near or at retirement age.  Dental disease (pain) is the leading cause of kids missing school.  Dental disease is the most common health problem in the U.S.  North Carolina must have the new ECU dental school up and running as soon as possible to fix these problems and serve the unmet dental needs of our State.  Without required operating funds, it will not happen.