High Point University’s School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health will be the only dental school located at a private university in North Carolina.
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 5, 2021 – High Point University continues its transformational growth with several major announcements delivered today during a press conference, including:
– HPU will establish a new School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health, which will be the only dental school at a private university in the state of North Carolina. It will be the 10th academic school on HPU’s campus and the seventh established since Dr. Nido Qubein became HPU president. The proposed Doctor of Dental Medicine degree program, pending SACSCOC and Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) approval, will enroll its first class in fall 2023. At full capacity, the highly competitive and prestigious program will bring 180 new students to campus.
– Dr. Scott De Rossi will serve as the dean of the School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health. Prior to joining HPU, De Rossi recently served as professor and dean at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry.
– HPU will build a new facility on International Avenue to house the School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health.
– The total investment in the program is $150 million.
– While HPU’s continual transformation has created hundreds of new jobs since 2005, this new project, along with the planned opening of the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena, Conference Center and Hotel, will lead to 300 new jobs in High Point and the Triad.
“High Point University’s health care programs have seen tremendous success, achieved academic prestige and produced graduates who are filling crucial health care positions,” said Qubein during the special press conference held today. “As HPU’s transformational growth plan continues, the university has continued to pursue additional health care programs. Establishing the state’s only private School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health reflects HPU’s commitment and innovative approach to health care education.”
“High Point University’s innovative culture and the thriving community of health care programs are the talk of higher education,” said De Rossi. “Being a founding dean is a unique privilege, and helping to start and grow a school of dental medicine is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The distinction of doing it at a place like HPU under the leadership of President Qubein and his leadership team is a dream come true.”
Qubein and De Rossi shared their excitement to welcome high caliber students to the program, begin hiring founding faculty members and support staff, and build strong relationships with the community with local dentists that will in turn offer benefit to the community.
“Dental education is experiential education,” said De Rossi. “As our students are learning in the Triad, they will be caring for people in the Triad. HPU’s School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health will provide incredible opportunities and partnerships for local dentists. They’ll be invited to participate in the educational process by speaking to or engaging with students, and they can utilize the talent of those students by providing experiential learning opportunities in their offices.”
About Dr. Scott De Rossi, Dean of HPU’s School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health:
Dr. Scott De Rossi will serve as the dean of the School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health. Prior to joining HPU, De Rossi recently served as professor and dean at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry. He received his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1995 and completed his post-doctoral training in oral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in 1997. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Augusta University’s Hull College of Business in 2016.
Previously, De Rossi was professor of oral medicine, director of the Clinical Center for Oral Medicine, and chairman of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences at the Augusta University Dental College of Georgia (DCG).
De Rossi is the 2011 recipient of the International Association of Dental Research Innovation in Oral Care Award, a 2012-13 fellow in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute, a 2014 recipient of the Judson C. Hickey Excellence in Teaching Award at the DCG, and the 2017 winner of the Herschfus Award from the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM). He achieved diplomate status from the American Board of Oral Medicine in 1999.
De Rossi is actively involved in the American Academy of Oral Medicine. He also maintains memberships in the American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, and the International and American Associations of Dental Research.