VCU School of Dentistry Receives Grant for Student Support

By Cristina Cruz
School of Dentistry

The VCU School of Dentistry has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation to create a new endowed scholarship.

The grant is part of $1.1 million in grants the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation awarded to 36 oral health organizations in Virginia. At VCU, the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation Endowed Scholarship will provide financial support to students who hope to practice in chronically underserved areas of the commonwealth after earning their degrees. The grant will be spread over the course of four years.

Inaugural scholarships will be awarded in 2013, and the scholarship will be fully endowed by 2015.

David C. Sarrett, D.M.D., dean of the VCU School of Dentistry, said dental students at VCU and across the country amass more debt than ever before to pursue their chosen profession.

“Through the generosity of the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation, more students will have less of a financial burden and can choose to practice dentistry in areas that truly need dentists,” said Sarrett.

Opportunity VCU, led by the VCU and MCV Alumni Associations, set a goal of raising $50 million for merit-based student scholarships. The grant from the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation will help to keep Opportunity VCU’s goal clearly in sight.

The grants awarded by the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation are the first of their kind for the organization. Funds will support programs that strive to improve oral health through education, research and access to care for the underserved.

“We are proud to present our inaugural grants to an impressive list of Virginia-based organizations that are having a positive impact on oral health care and quality of life throughout our state,” said George A. Levicki, D.D.S., president and CEO, Delta Dental of Virginia.