LLU School of Dentistry Journal

Journal

Spring 2002

Guest editorial:
Success has no direction

William Loveless, EdD, spoke to faculty, students, staff and members of the University community at the School of Dentistry celebration. During the celebration the results of the work of the Applied Strategic Planning Committee were presented, answering the questions "who we are, where we came from and where are we going."

Success has no direction. It goes nowhere by itself. Any successful program, be it a dental school or a business, has to change in order to continue to be successful.

Success at one point is not a guarantee that success will continue. Ask Montgomery Ward, the dental school at Georgetown University, Oldsmobile, or any one of a host of failed dot coms.

The processes that have led to success, therefore, must always be modified by change—not just any change, not change for the sake of change. The change must come in the right way at the right time. Then success modified by the right kind of change has direction. That direction is the future—a bright future, if you please.

Now changing is seldom easy, and changing is seldom fun, even when the change is perceived to be good and desirable. This is true because changing challenges us in our thinking and ways of doing things, and this kind of challenge usually triggers in most of us resistance and discomfort.

Most alumni will agree that the Loma Linda University dental school has been, and is, successful. The School has a relatively long and noble history. It has contributed a host of outstanding clinicians and teachers who have, in fact, been a blessing to many needy parts of our world. But in order to maintain success, the School must change to stay current, making constant war on the status quo.

Analysis has indicated that the dental school must carefully accelerate its response to change, addressing quality concerns and student and faculty morale. Several issues arose at the same time three years ago when the decision by the faculty/administration and alumni board was made to explore needed changes. A representative task force was established by the dean and faculty in cooperation with the alumni board to begin a two-year process of honest, painful self-examination, repositioning the School and then reinventing the School through a methodical, carefully applied strategic planning initiative. Much has been accomplished, much yet remains to be done.

What did we discover about the School’s strengths? Our Christian environment and values, the quality and commitment of our faculty, and the overall quality and competence of our graduates are notable strengths.

What did we discover about the School’s weaknesses? The level of internal communication and of student satisfaction, the breakdown of the clinic’s “point system,” and a seeming resistance to change were viewed not only as weaknesses but as clear indicators that major changes were in order. A strong action initiated change. An applied strategic action task force became a committee with regular meetings and an accountability mentality. That’s good. The clinic training experienced renovation to follow a practice model. That’s good, even though glitches to be worked out remain.

In mid-February, the dental school cruised through what many say is the best seven-year accreditation visit ever.Twenty-seven commendations, and just three minor recommendations emerged. Bravo to those intrepid workers in all departments who made such a noteworthy accomplishment a reality.

What remains? Much. The curriculum will receive necessary revamping over the next two to three years. Research will gain importance not achieved in the past.

Please don’t laugh when you read this. We are dead serious. Our goal is to become the preeminent dental school in the world. We have the vision and the people to do this.

Your support, your belief in the School of Dentistry, your gifts in serious, steady amounts, and your prayer support will help us accomplish our new motto: “Service is our calling.”

Editor’s note: William Loveless, EdD, lives in Highland, California with his wife, Edna Maye, and a backyard full of luscious, fruit-bearing vines and trees. He works part-time as a professor in the School’s department of educational services and pursues a marriage and family counseling practice in Riverside. He still preaches often, plays the saxophone occasionally, and enjoys good conversation and good food daily.

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