Our official celebration of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry’s 125th anniversary year may be behind us, but it leaves us with an opportunity to reflect on our future. We have big plans and goals, and we aim to realize them through our passionate people, innovative programs and a longstanding culture of philanthropy—the ingredients that help us excel.

We recently announced that with your help and investment, the Dugoni School of Dentistry’s historic fundraising campaign, “Building Our Future, Embracing Our Legacy,” reached $69.3 million, surpassing our original $65 million goal. This is the biggest campaign in the dental school’s 125 years and among the largest campaigns of any dental school in the country. We accomplished this feat thanks to the generosity of more than 5,300 campaign donors, including alumni, friends and community supporters! Thank you to all who have been involved at any level of giving.

This issue of Contact Point delves into the impact of our largest fundraising campaign and how the funds will make a difference in the lives of many Dugoni School of Dentistry family members—and people in our greater community—today and into the future. We also spotlight Dr. Ruth Bol ’03, who is returning home as chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. She penned a guest article about her journey in the profession and her commitment to her Native American community. Finally, we feature excerpts from my roundtable discussion with two alumni who serve or have served recently in the role of dean of a dental school. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to my good friends and fellow graduates, Dr. Brad Smith ’86 and Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Andrews ’95, to swap stories and leadership notes from our experiences at our respective institutions.

Our cover photo features Franz Wall who is also profiled in this issue. You’ll learn how his faith, determination and courage have helped during his recovery, and how he has continued to be involved in the dental profession and other activities following a tragic skiing accident two years ago.

I am excited and energized as we enter the first year of our next 125 years of innovation and leadership in oral healthcare education. Thank you for continuing to make history with us! 

Nader A. Nadershahi ’94, DDS, MBA, EdD
Dean and Vice Provost