College Receives $1 Million Gift from CDS to Endow Two Professorships

December 23, 2005

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry has received a $1 million gift from the Chicago Dental Society.

"The United States has a serious shortage of dentists, and this donation will allow us to endow two clinical professorships, which will continue to fulfill the college's mission in education, research and service," said Bruce Graham, dean of the college. "We are very grateful to the Chicago Dental Society for their donation."

Dr. Ronald Testa, Chicago Dental Society president, said the shortage in the academic profession is causing a national crisis. "We want to be part of the solution to the problem," Testa said. "And it is our hope that this endowment will not only provide a financial uplift but also a psychological one to the school, which has been hit hard by budget shortfalls and cutbacks."

Over the past 15 years, Illinois has lost two dental schools, at Northwestern and Loyola universities. With fewer dental schools in operation -- UIC is one of just 56 dental schools in the country -- fewer dentists are graduating, contributing to a rising but mostly unrecognized national crisis. The federal government estimates that more than 31 million Americans live in "dental shortage areas" where there is less than one full-time dentist for a population of 4,000 to 5,000.