UCF’s dental school proposal rejected

The Florida Board of Governors rejected UCF's proposal to expand its College of Medicine to include a dental school.

In 2006, UCF launched its College of Medicine at Lake Nona's "Medical City" to help address the shortage of physicians nationwide.

Hoping to expand the college, UCF proposed a dental school to the Florida Board of Governors on May 26. Originally anticipating opening its doors in 2014, UCF's proposal was shot down.

"You didn't make your case on need and you didn't make your case on solutions to a need," Chancellor of the State University System Frank Brogan told university representatives during the meeting.

Members of the state board announced on Sept. 15 that the three submitted plans, which included the dental school at Lake Nona, were inadequate and needed to be reworked.

One of the few accredited dental schools in Florida, and the only publicly funded one in the state, is located at the University of Florida. Because UF's request for expansion was denied, the Board of Governors suggested that UCF and UF collaborate and form a partnership. Such a partnership could benefit both schools by allowing UF to expand its program and UCF to establish a dental school.

"With the status of there only being three accredited programs in the state of Florida, I feel that a dental school located in an extremely populated area such as Orlando would be beneficial," junior athletic training major Barry Walters said. "There is an abundant population of sub-par dental care that is provided to the population, and a new school could spark interest and availability for the career itself."

The rejection of UCF's proposal may have to do with the high cost of tuition, which at around $50,000 a year is almost twice as much as UF's tuition. The college is projecting that it will operate solely on private donations and student tuition. The program will not rely on loans or taxpayer funding.

"I feel that you get what you pay for. It may be very expensive, but the education being provided by UCF is well above par," Walters said. "The medical school that is only in the beginning stages has already been nationally recognized, and I see a dental program following suit."

One prospective UCF dental student, Haley Rodgers, 20, is currently studying dental hygiene at Gulf Coast State College. She believes her choice in pursuing further education in the dentistry field would influence her to go out of state or settle for a technical school or state college.

"No one is going to pay $50,000 for tuition, especially when UF has a well-known school for less of a price," Rodgers said.

If granted approval, the UCF College of Dental Medicine would cost around $42.8 million to construct and is projected to have an economic gross of $73 million. The Board of Governors isn't convinced that a new dental college will increase access to dentistry in under-served rural areas or that there is a shortage of dentists in Florida.

"The College of Dental Medicine will mean opportunities for our local students to obtain a dental education that they must now leave our area to achieve," UCF President John C. Hitt said in a statement. "The college will create opportunities to help more people in need of dental care who cannot afford it. And it will provide Central Florida with new jobs and an economic boost in challenging times."

Because state funding is limited, UCF is up against tough competition. Florida A&M University in Tallahassee is seeking to build a dental school that focuses specifically on minority dentists, and UF is requesting an expansion.

The main challenge UCF faces is the proposed idea of a self-funded school. To the Board of Governors, it may seem more economical to expand the current dental school at UF as opposed to creating a new one.

Nevertheless, in order for UCF to receive endorsement on opening up a new program, the school has to demonstrate a comprehensive and convincing need for a dental school and express its significant benefits. A meeting has been scheduled in November for UCF to resubmit its proposal.