Faculty and Staff

Accreditation Materials Are on Their Way

Twenty-six boxes of materials left the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry Thursday (Feb. 11), on their way to the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and to members of the site team who will visit the School in April.

In some cases, those boxes have a lot of geographical miles to go before they reach their destination. Dean John N. Williams compared those miles to the “journey” the School embarked on back in 2008 when preparations for the April 13-15, 2010, site visit began in earnest.

A few important “mile markers” along the way:

  • In September 2008, faculty members were appointed to leadership positions to direct the review and writing of self-study sections.
  • In March 2009, self-study groups turned in first drafts of their self-study sections.
  • Throughout 2009, mock site visits, a faculty retreat and final preparation of self-study materials took place.
  • In mid-January 2010, the self-study materials were finalized and taken to the printer.
  • On Feb. 11, 2010, the School submitted its self-study documents.

“We have many more miles ahead, but it’s so exciting to reach this point where the materials have been sent to the members of the site visit team,” Williams said.

“I appreciate the hard work and attention to detail Dr. Janet Guthmiller has provided throughout the accreditation process. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership and will continue to do so. I am also pleased with the effort the School’s faculty and staff members have given accreditation preparation. This ongoing process will make the School even stronger and innovative in the real-world application of its mission and will benefit all of our programs.”