Georgetown University School of Dentistry
 Seal of Georgetown University | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Active | 1901–1990 |
Parent institution | Georgetown University (School of Medicineuntil 1951) |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic(Jesuit) |
| Location | , US 38°54′42.7″N77°4′37.4″W/ 38.911861°N 77.077056°W |
| Campus | Urban |
TheGeorgetown University School of Dentistrywas thedental schoolofGeorgetown University,located inWashington, D.C.The school was established in 1901 as a department of theSchool of Medicineand became a standalone school within the university in 1956. In 1987, the school stopped accepting new students and it graduated its last class in 1990.
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Thedentalprogram was formed in 1901, during the presidency ofJerome Daugherty,[1]with the acquisition by Georgetown of the Washington Dental College and the Hospital of Oral Surgery onMassachusetts Avenue.The Washington Dental College was incorporated into theSchool of Medicineas the dental department. There were initially five faculty chairs of: techniques andorthodontia;dentalhistologyandpathology;operative dentistry; oral surgery; andprosthetic dentistry.[2]Dr.William N. Coganwas elected as the school's firstdean.In 1920, the firstX-ray machinewas installed in the dental department.[3]
The dental department was first housed at 920H Street,Northwest,in an annex to the medical school's building.[3]Two-thirds of the cost of this $5,000 addition was absorbed by the dental faculty while the remaining third was paid by the medical faculty.[2]The department then moved onto the main campus with the completion of the Medical-Dental Building on Reservoir Road in 1930, facilitating growth of both the medical and dental components.[4]
Independence[edit]
In the aftermath of theSecond World War,the dental department saw rapid growth, with many veterans enrolling under theG.I. Bill.[4]
In 1951, fifty years after the founding of Georgetown's dental program, the School of Dentistry was established as its own school within Georgetown University. ANaval Reserve Dental Unitwas created to study dentistry as performed in theUnited States Navy,the first of its kind in the country. Through the 1960s, the School of Dentistry proactively recruited female students. Women were previously only admitted into the dental hygiene program, which trained them to becomedental assistants.[4]
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the School of Dentistry operated severalclinicsthat provided free dental care to patients. The Community Dentistry Programs sent dental students into the schools and communities of Washington, D.C. to render dental care. Students could alsostudy abroadinEuropeandLatin Americato study foreign dental clinical care.[5]
Closure[edit]
By the late 1980s, a variety of factors had forced dental schools across the United States to close, and many others were downsizing.Price Waterhousedetermined that by 1992, the Georgetown University School of Dentistry would be operated an annual $3.6 million deficit. A number of causes were put forth, including: a decreased demand for dental care due to advances in technology and the widespread public adoption offluoridation,an excess in the number of practicing dentists relative to the size of the population, the rising cost oftuition,and increasing numbers of prospective dental students seeking to attendmedical school,leading to sharply declining dental school enrollment.[6]
On March 19, 1987, theGeorgetown University Board of Directorsvoted unanimously to cease the operation of the school.[5]At the time, the school had 570 students enrolled.[7]The School of Dentistry was disbanded three years later, graduating its last class in 1990.[5]Students and faculty who were upset that the school did not consult them before making the decision to close filed a lawsuit in theDistrict of Columbia Superior Court.[7]The school's closure also prompted acongressionalhearing.[8]
At the time of its closure, the School of Dentistry was the second largest dental school in the United States behind theNew York University College of Dentistry.It was also one of only twelve dental schools in the country not to receive federal aid, and had one of the highest costs of tuition at $15,000.[9]In total, the school graduated approximately 4,100 alumni.[10]
List of deans[edit]
| No. | Name | Years | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William N. Cogan | 1901–1913 | [11] | |
| 2 | Shirley W. Bowles | 1913–1919 | [11] | |
| 3 | Bruce L. Taylor | 1919–1922 | [11] | |
| 4 | W. B. Hoofnagle | 1922–1926 | [11] | |
| 5 | William N. Cogan | 1926–1938 | [11] | |
| 6 | Joseph L. B. Murray | 1938–1944 | [11] | |
| 7 | John P. Burke | 1944–1950 | [11] | |
| 8 | Clemens V. Rault | 1950–1966 | [11] | |
| 9 | Charles B. Murto | 1966–1979 | [12] | |
| 10 | David E. Beaudreau | 1979–1982 | [12] | |
| 11 | Robert J. Taylor | 1982–1983 | Acting dean | [12] |
| 12 | Stanley P. Hazen | 1983–1990 | [12] |
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^Colby 1915,p. 198
- ^ab"Dental Alumni History: 1900–1930".alumni.georgetown.edu.Archived fromthe originalon September 7, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 12,2015.
- ^ab"Georgetown University dental student with patient".1935.hdl:10822/552729.
- ^abc"Dental Alumni History: 1930–1960".alumni.georgetown.edu.Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 12,2015.
- ^abc"Dental Alumni History: 1970–1980".alumni.georgetown.edu.Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 12,2015.
- ^Lewin, Tamar (October 29, 1987)."Plagued by Falling Enrollment, Dental Schools Close or Cut Back".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 12,2015.
- ^ab"Suit Filed to Block Closing of Georgetown Dental School".The Washington Post.July 9, 1987.RetrievedOctober 3,2018.
- ^Gordon, Larry (October 26, 1987)."Declining Rolls: U.S. Dental Schools Feel the Crunch".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 20, 2010.RetrievedOctober 3,2018.
- ^Feinberg, Lawrence (March 24, 1987)."GU Defends Dental School Closure".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2018.RetrievedOctober 3,2018.
- ^"Dental Alumni".alumni.georgetown.edu.Archivedfrom the original on December 25, 2017.RetrievedOctober 3,2018.
- ^abcdefghCurran 2010a,p. 402, Appendix G: Deans of the Dental School, 1901–66
- ^abcdCurran 2010b,p. 295, Appendix G: Deans of the Dental School, 1950–90
Sources[edit]
- Colby, Frank Moore (1915).The New International Year Book.New York:Dodd, Mead & Co.OCLC137374546– via Google Books.
- Curran, Robert Emmett (2010a).A History of Georgetown University: The Quest for Excellence, 1889–1964.Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.:Georgetown University Press.ISBN978-1-58901-689-7.
- Curran, Robert Emmett (2010b).A History of Georgetown University: The Rise to Prominence, 1964–1989.Vol. 3. Washington, D.C.:Georgetown University Press.ISBN978-1-58901-690-3.