FAMU continues to be one of the most imitated schools in the State University System of Florida.University of Central Florida President John C. Hitt will ask his Board of Trustees to approve a proposal for a College of Dental Medicine during a meeting scheduled for May 26, 2011. He wants to open the new school in 2014.
“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,” Hitt said. “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.”
UCF’s proposal comes after FAMU President James H. Ammons has spent more than a year educating state leaders about the need for the need for another public dental school. The FAMU Board of Trustees approved the university’s Strategic Plan on October 15, 2009, which included a College of Dental Medicine as a top goal. Ammons said that he wants FAMU’s College of Dental Medicine to address Florida’s shortage of dentists in underserved rural and inner-city areas.
“There is a tremendous need, yet very little access to oral health care,” Ammons said in a December 8, 2009 FAMU press release. “FAMU not only recognizes, but intends to address this need. By allowing FAMU to train students in the College of Dental Medicine, we plan to come to the aid of those communities in need.”
A May 12, 2011 UCF press release stated that “Central Florida needs dentists who will treat underserved communities. The UCF program will include service-learning projects that will reach out to rural and inner-city communities. Providing service to those who can least afford dental care will be a strong component in the curriculum.”
A private UCF donor who wishes to remain anonymous is providing a $10 million donation to jump start the project. UCF will secure a loan of approximately $40 million to cover the necessary startup costs. The college does not intend to seek state money for the project.
FAMU has already submitted its dental school proposal to the Florida Board of Governors (BOG). The BOG has not taken any action on FAMU’s request. UCF will need to eventually send its own proposal to the BOG, as well.
FAMU and UCF have competed for top professional schools for years. Many UCF supporters were upset when FAMU decided to place its newly reestablished College of Law in Orlando back in 2000.