Page 17 - School of Dentistry Viewbook 2022-2023

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry assures that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status or sexual orientation. The commitment to diversity is expressed in the School’s goal of providing culturally competent oral health care to a diverse patient population in a variety of settings. To fulfill this mission, the School of Dentistry has made a commitment to recruit, retain and graduate students from underrepresented communities to ensure adequate representation in the dental profession. The School of Dentistry aims to create a diverse student body that mirrors Minnesota’s diverse population, including its ethnic/racial communities, rural populations and low-income populations. The vision
is to educate future dentists who will return to their communities to provide care and increase access to oral health care in these vulnerable populations.
The School of Dentistry Diversity Policy for Admissions states that diversity enhances the educational experience of all students and better prepares graduates to practice dentistry in today’s world. The DDS Admissions Committee ensures that all qualified applicants receive individualized consideration within the admissions process.
Many factors are utilized in evaluating an applicant’s potential contribution to diversity at the School of Dentistry:
• geographic diversity
• first-generation college student
• financial need
• disadvantaged educational background
• racial and ethnic diversity
• evidence of outstanding leadership
• special talents
• unique work or service experience
• community involvement
• experience and/or interest in research or teaching
• interest in providing dental services to underserved areas
University of Minnesota Land Acknowledgement
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. The University resides on Dakota land ceded in the Treaties of 1837 and 1851. The School of Dentistry recognizes and acknowledges the complex and layered history surrounding these treaties. This land acknowledgment is one of the ways we work to educate our patients, faculty, staff, students and community about this land and our relationship with it and each other.