Meeting of a Different Sort

I have been meeting with the Director of Development from the school that I graduated from for the last 15years. In fact, on Thursday evening I met with my third Direct of Development in that time period. The interesting thing is that I have told each one the same thing: the dental school is not teaching current information so that dental students can learn what the average or above average practicing dentist provides for their patients on a daily base. The school that I graduated from is NOT the only Dental School that is guilty of not teaching current information and I do not mean to imply that it is or that I am picking on MY dental school.

I have made every effort during the last decade and a half to 'encourage' my school to move into the 21st Century but my school continues to languish in the 1990s. Why is this and aren't Universities supposed to be cutting edge places of learning?

Governments and Institutions have historically resisted change. Professors are long term experts in materials and techniques that made them famous 10 years ago and they don't want to let go of their area of expertise. They don't want to learn anything new because then they will no longer BE the expert.

I have never been a person to accept or tolerate mediocrity in areas that are important to me or my patients. For 15 years I have asked my dental school to change and donated a significant amount of money to persuade them to do so.

But 15 years later, I am still having the same conversations with the Director of Development. Do you think that there has been any change?

My final words to the Director was, "We have to stop teaching our students to be experts at building carburetors in an era of direct fuel injection." He winced.