RECOMENDATIONS REPORT

Mariah Barela The University of New Mexico

APRIL 19, 2018

ENGLSIH 219
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary……………………………………………………3

Introduction…………………………………………………………….4

Methods………………………………………………………………...5

Analysis of findings / Recommendations……………………………....6

Conclusion……………………………………………………………...7

Appendices……………………………………………………….……..8
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Executive Summary

I am writing to The University of New Mexico’s academic advisement center. I am writing to

inform you on how the lack of a dental school is a major setback for UNM’s students and

Albuquerque’s community. I conducted a survey of seven questions that I asked peers around

campus to see how they feel about not having a dental school, or if they even know UNM

doesn’t offer that program. Their responses were analyzed and I was able to conclude that The

University of New Mexico would benefit from having a dental school.

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Introduction

Our project in English 219 focused on the students and citizens of New Mexico,

specifically pre-dental students. The University of New Mexico does not have a dental school for

graduates to attend. Matter of fact, there is not a single dental school for graduates to attend in

New Mexico. With this being said, my classmate and I came up with the research question that

asks, would the overall outcome of having a dental school at UNM benefit students and citizens

in New Mexico? We were able to conduct the research by asking students seven survey

questions, which helped us analyze our findings.

I have chosen to write to The University of New Mexico’s academic advisement center.

When looking at the website I came across the mission statement which says, “The mission of

advisement at UNM is to provide student-centered support and services that include

collaborative strategies that empower students to excel in their academic and professional

aspirations, as well as provide students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and training

that fosters responsibility for academic success” (University Catalog, 2018). This statement

reassured me that I was writing to the correct office. Since the advisement center works to

“empower students to excel in their academic and professional aspirations…” (University

Catalog, 2018) why doesn’t The University of New Mexico have a dental program for their

students?

I am currently studying biology at UNM. Now, that isn’t the exact degree I want to get,

but that is the closest to a pre-dental degree that I can earn here. The biology degree is more

geared towards getting into medical school, it will give me little to no background in the dental

field, which could potentially be terrible. What if after four years of school I don’t end up liking

oral hygiene? Did I waste my time? I could have gone for a dental hygienist degree, but the
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school of dental hygiene only allows fifteen to twenty students in each year. I soon realized my

dreams were bigger than dental hygiene. If UNM had a dental school for the students, I believe it

would be a great investment not only for the students but the city of Albuquerque as well.

When I registered for UNM I knew that they didn’t have a dental school, which discouraged

me a lot. I knew that if I wanted to pursue a dental degree I would have to save up my money or

take out student loans to be able to afford out of state tuition. I looked up a few boarding states

dental schools out of state tuition and I found; Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health has a

yearly tuition of $73,347, Colorado has the annual cost of $69,652, and Utah has an annual

tuition of $67,675. Are these schools necessarily affordable? Considering UNM’s in state tuition

is comparably cheap, I think it would help the students and families for UNM to have their own

dental school.

Methods

In order to figure out if the overall outcome of having a dental school at UNM would benefit

students and citizens of New Mexico we asked twelve students on campus s series of seven

survey questions to see how the feel about not having a dental school, or if they even know

UNM doesn’t offer that program. The participants will remain anonymous. The seven survey

questions were:

1. are you aware that UNM doesn't have a dental school?

2. do you know anyone in the dental field? if so where did they go to school?

3. have you gotten your teeth cleaned at the UNM dental clinic?

4. do you think UNM will prosper from having a dental school?

5. knowing UNM doesn't have a dental school, would this discourage you from pursuing

this career field?

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6. are you happy with the dentistry in New Mexico?

7. How much does dental care matter to you?

The findings of our results were just as we expected.

Analysis of Findings

UNM Dental Program

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Aware of no Know of anyone Done any dental Will UNM Does this Are you happy
dental prgram at in the dental work at the prosper from discourage you with the denistry
UNM? field? UNM clinic? creating a dental from entering in New Mexico?
program? this field?

Yes No

Our survey results proved that the University of New Mexico would overall benefit from

creating a dental program while helping New Mexico’s economy prosper as well. The survey

also showed that many people who did decide to enter this field did not take into consideration of

the missing dental school. This discourages the majority of students to turn down this major of

choice. Dental care seemed to matter a lot to all students and participants outside of school. By

creating a dental program, we would have the chance to improve our local dentistry and create

many new dentists that could help everyone.

Recommendations

I would recommend taking into consideration building a dental school at The University

of New Mexico. I know the schools budget is tight, but I think the overall effect of the school
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would bring more jobs, money, and success to The University of New Mexico. Several people

that I know wanted to go into the dental field, but as soon as they saw UNM doesn’t have a

dental school to offer they changed their majors. What if they were the next best dentist? They

weren’t able to reach their potential because they got discouraged.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The University of New Mexico’s lack of a dental school is a major setback

not only for the students, but for the community as well. The overall outcome would bring more

students, jobs and money to The University of New Mexico. I hope that this helps put into the

consideration of building a school for us. It will really help students “excel in their academic and

professional aspirations” (University Catalog, 2018).

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Appendix

Anschutz Medical Campus. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2018, from

http://www.ucdenver.edu/anschutz/studentresources/FASO/Learn/CostofAttendance/Pages/Dent

al.aspx

Doctor of Dental Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2018, from

https://www.atsu.edu/asdoh/programs/dental_medicine/tuition_expenses.htm

Tuition & Fees for the 2016–2017 Academic Year. (2018, March 28). Retrieved April 18,

2018, from http://dentistry.utah.edu/education/dds-degree/tuition.php

Undergraduate Academic Advisement. (2017, August 14). Retrieved April 18, 2018,

from http://catalog.unm.edu/catalogs/2017-2018/undergrad-acad-advising.html

Survey Questions

1. are you aware that UNM doesn't have a dental school?

2. do you know anyone in the dental field? if so where did they go to school?

3. have you gotten your teeth cleaned at the UNM dental clinic?

4. do you think UNM will prosper from having a dental school?

5. knowing UNM doesn't have a dental school, would this discourage you from

pursuing this career field?

6. are you happy with the dentistry in New Mexico?