Press Release

Contact: Kaylyn Kendall Dines
973-972-7276
dineskd@umdnj.edu

At UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School--UMDNJ Establishes Dental Education Center with $2 Million Award from Delta Dental

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) has received a $2 million award from Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc. to establish the Delta Dental Educational Conference Center in a new Oral Health Pavilion at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School.

The award will be used to construct three state-of-the-art lecture halls for students that also can be combined into one conference center with a capacity of more than 400. The Delta Dental Educational Conference Center will include three conference rooms, a school lounge and a gallery that serves as a site for events. These areas of the conference center will comprise nearly 20,000 square feet within the Oral Health Pavilion, a three-story, 78,000 square-foot facility.

The conference center development is part of a $45,000 million capital campaign for construction of the new Oral Health Pavilion and the renovation of the existing dental school.

Dr. Cecile Feldman, dean of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, said, “Our capital campaign and the development of the Delta Dental Educational Conference Center allow us to expand our reach and focus on our mission of educating students, conducting research and providing high-quality oral health care to our patients. This conference center will create an educational setting that gives our students an opportunity to hone their professional skills in a modern learning environment.”

Dr. Gerald Sydell, chairman of the board of Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., “We are proud to have the opportunity to positively impact dental education and patient care at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School. This school is poised to be a leader in dental education nationally. We, at Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, believe that the funding will benefit the public in several important respects, including advancing dental education and providing care to the underserved in this state. The educational conference center will be an integral part of the growth and development of this fine institution.”

Walter J. VanBrunt, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., said, “Delta Dental is proud to support the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School capital campaign in a manner that will positively impact the educational setting, foster their learning environment, and help the university fulfill its mission to the community.”

Each lecture hall has executive-style seating and state-of-the-art audio, video and computer equipment. Individual learning stations in each lecture hall will have Internet access for laptop computers. The Delta Dental Educational Conference Center will be housed in the Oral Health Pavilion, which is a new building that was built adjacent to the dental school. The Oral Health Pavilion includes pre-doctoral clinics for students, patient waiting areas, administrative offices, and a 3,000 square-foot school lounge.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) comprises New Jersey’s only three medical schools, the state’s only dental school, the school of health related professions, the school of nursing, the school of public health and the school of biomedical sciences on campuses in Newark, Piscataway/New Brunswick, Stratford, Camden, and Scotch Plains. UMDNJ also operates University Behavioral HealthCare in Newark and Piscataway. It is affiliated with more than 200 health care and educational institutions throughout the state.

The Foundation of UMDNJ, a not-for-profit corporation governed by a volunteer board of trustees, accepts and administers private sector support for educational, research, patient care and community-service programs at the University.