Following is an announcement from interim Provost Jeremy Teitelbaum:
Dean R. “Monty” MacNeil has informed me that he will step down from his position as Dean of UConn’s School of Dental Medicine on June 30, 2018, after 11 years of service in that role. Starting July 1, 2018, he will return to research, clinical and educational work as a member of the school’s faculty.
Under his leadership, the School of Dental Medicine reached number 11, rising from 18, in its level of funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The School received the pre-eminent award for a U.S. or Canadian Dental School for contributions to oral health and dental education, the William J. Gies Award for Achievement in 2016. The school increased the diversity of its student body to levels far above national averages, and, in partnership with the Schools of Medicine and Engineering, joined in the creation of a new cross-campus Biomedical Engineering Department.
The physical infrastructure of the school has been transformed under Dean MacNeil. The school has seen a new Dental Clinical Research Center; the Grasso Simulation Lab; the Dental Arts Center; and the new Orthodontics Center in the Outpatient Pavilion, as well as an expansion and renovation of its research infrastructure, classrooms, student work space, and administrative space. It also extended its community based programs, opening a new Pediatric Dental Clinic in West Hartford and a new practice in Storrs Center. In early 2019, an extensively renovated and expanded Dental Care Center will be complete, marking an almost entire renewal of the School’s infrastructure.
Dean MacNeil’s efforts also led to the establishment and growth of the Dental Medicine Alumni Association and to a major growth in philanthropic giving to the school. His efforts led to the school receiving the single largest gift in its history. He brought national recognition to the School through professional service and leadership activities, including his current service as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Dental Education Association.
These contributions to research, education, outreach, and advancement form a truly distinguished record of service. On behalf of the entire university, and especially the faculty and staff of the School of Dental Medicine, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Dean MacNeil for his efforts over the past decade and, indeed, over the entire period of his career at UConn.
During the next weeks, we will make plans to conduct a search for the School’s next dean with the goal of a smooth transition next summer.