PRLog (Press Release) Jan. 3, 2014 - CHICAGO -- Dr. Bill Knight has been named Interim Dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry effective Dec. 16, 2013, pending formal approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in January 2014.
He succeeds Dr. Bruce Graham, who has retired as Dean. Dr. Graham will return to the faculty in 2014. Currently, a national search for a new Dean is underway.
“I am very happy that Bill has agreed to serve as Interim Dean,” Dr. Graham said. “He is eminently well-qualified to serve the College in this role by virtue of his extensive experience and broad expertise in dental education. And he is also well known and respected by our faculty, who have worked closely with him for the past 12 years to transform our clinical and classroom curricula in the predoctoral and postgraduate programs.
“As Executive Associate Dean, he had been my closest advisor and confidant so he is fully conversant with all of the ongoing business of the Office of the Dean,” Dr. Graham continued. “The College will not miss a beat thanks to Bill’s immense capabilities.”
“The Assistant and Associate Deans, the Department Heads, our entire faculty, and I will keep the College’s initiatives moving forward,” Dr. Knight said. “This is not the time to rest or be caretakers. It also is important to keep the College of Dentistry in its leadership position as one of the flagship programs of UIC.”
Current College initiatives include continuing rehabbing and construction of College facilities, refining the MS in Oral Science program, and implementing the fourth year of the College’s Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) curriculum, which succeeds its previous DDS program.
A member of the faculty since 2001, Dr. Knight first served the College as Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. In his most recent role as Executive Associate Dean, he had been the chief academic officer for the College, working closely with the faculty in the DMD and the Advanced Specialty Programs.
