Fla. universities revise dental school proposals

After more than 18 months of working to rally support for a new dental school, Florida A&M University (FAMU) has withdrawn its request before the State University System of Florida Board of Governors.

Instead, FAMU is proposing a partnership with the University of Florida that would add a dozen FAMU students to the University of Florida's 80-student first-year class at its dental school, according to a story in the Tallahassee Democrat.

FAMU still hopes to one day be home to a dental school that caters primarily to minority students who will practice in rural and underserved areas, according to Donald Palm, assistant vice president of academic affairs at FAMU and director of the university's dental plan initiative.

Last month, the University of Central Florida (UCF) and FAMU both made proposals to board outlining plans to establish new dental schools at their respective universities. The University of Florida, meanwhile, presented a proposal to expand its existing dental school. But the board didn't think any of the proposals were strong enough and told all three schools to revise their plans for another review.

The board committee urged UCF to find a way to team up with the University of Florida, but UCF has so far kept much of its original proposal the same, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. It still plans to use a $10 million donation, a loan from itself, and student tuition to fund a new dental school that would begin admitting students in 2014.