A new public/private partnership between UNLV and Orthodontic Education Ltd. (OEC) is allowing the university to create a residency program in orthodontics at the School of Dental Medicine.

The partnership includes an initial $3.5 million commitment by OEC to construct and equip a 50,000-square-foot facility for clinical research and health sciences at UNLV’s Shadow Lane Campus.

Additional annual revenues to be collected from tuition and clinical fees – projected to be between $480,000 and $720,000 – will fund, among other things, operational support and scholarships for Nevada residents. The partnership was approved for a 30-year term by the University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regents.

“This is an exciting new partnership for UNLV and one that will go a long way toward improving the dental health crisis in our state,” said President Carol C. Harter. “We are looking forward to establishing a first-rate orthodontics program that will serve our students and community well.”

One of the partnership’s major components is a scholarship program that will cover students’ full tuition and living expenses, estimated to cost approximately $65,000 per year, per student. In exchange, scholarship recipients will be required to fulfill a seven-year service commitment to OEC following graduation. These graduates will receive a guaranteed minimum income from OEC of $150,000 per year, profit sharing, and funding for capital and startup operations of a new practice.

Students not participating in the OEC scholarship program will be eligible for financial aid. Approximately $175,000 per year will be designated for Nevadans.

“This unique scholarship program will not only provide access to advanced dental education for individuals who might not otherwise be able to afford the opportunity,” said Dr Patrick Ferrillo, dean of the dental school, “but it will also offer under-served citizens of Las Vegas greater access to low-cost orthodontic services.”

Orthodontic residents will provide services to approximately 900 economically disadvantaged individuals each year.

UNLV officials expect the program’s first graduates to start serving the public by 2008.

We feel like we’ve won an Oscar. UNLV Magazine has always had the great fortune of loyal readers. Now our readers are telling us they want more.

So, starting with this summer issue, you’ll find your alumni magazine in your mailboxes four times a year. We’re also expanding the number of pages in each issue to incorporate more news and features about our alumni, students, and faculty.

But we won’t rest on our laurels. We plan to continually improve our content and add new features. This issue you’ll note a new section, called Foundations, that keeps you informed about the way donors are changing the campus. Look for more changes in the future.

Of course, you’ll miss all this if you don’t keep us informed. Update your address (and give us the scoop on your latest accomplishments) by visiting http://myupdate.unlv.edu.

Pressures in school, trying to fit in, and coming to grips with their true selves – all can cause stress among kids. Like adults, adolescents can find themselves in stressful situations, but sometimes they don’t know how to deal with them To help local youth keep tabs on their emotions, a doctoral candidate is offering free anxiety-prevention workshops.

Led by student Kelly Drake, the one-day classes target youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who experience a moderate level of anxiety, but are not currently receiving psychological or drug treatment. Parental permission and attendance are required.

“Estimates indicate that approximately 5 to 15 percent of youth suffer from an anxiety-related disorder, such as separation anxiety, social phobia, panic attacks, or obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Drake says. “These disorders are associated with impairment in functioning, such as having problems with school, peers, or family.

Research with adult subjects has found that workshops are effective in preventing anxiety from becoming a problem in people’s lives, she says. “However, the same has not been done with youth. The goal of my project is to see if we can help prevent anxiety in youth by teaching them anxiety-management coping strategies,” she says.

The workshop teaches participants how to handle stressors and manage anxiety provoking thoughts. Among the techniques that she introduces is progressive muscle relaxation, in which individuals learn to tense and relax all of their major muscle groups. “This method demonstrates how teens have control over their bodies and can calm themselves,” she says.

Participants also learn how to calm themselves through breathing exercises. “When we experience fear, anxiety, or stress, our breathing sometimes becomes rapid and shallow,”Drake says. “We teach corrective breathing techniques. This involves taking long, slow, deep breaths into the stomach as opposed to the chest. This will help youth feel more in control of their bodies and also reduce some of the uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety.”

Great Works Academic Certificate – There’s a reason the works of Plato and Shakespeare have stood the test of time. They teach lifelong critical thinking skills sought by both future employers and graduate schools. This undergraduate program emphasizes the teachings of the world’s greatest philosophers, writers, politicians, and artists.

Bachelor of University Studies – Some students just can’t be satisfied with one major. This new degree is ideal for students who want the unique educational experience of an interdisciplinary degree. For example, through university studies, a student wanting to launch a day-care business can study both business and early childhood education. The bachelor’s degree is offered by UNLV’s new University College, which is also the academic home to freshmen who have not declared a major.

Ph.D. in Nursing –With a nationwide nursing shortage, universities like UNLV are charged with increasing the number of nursing graduates. But you can’t do that without qualified professors to instruct them. This program will focus on nursing education, emphasizing the teaching, research, and service skills needed in future professors.

As they moved their tassels from the right side of their mortar boards to the left, more than 2,100 people transitioned from students to graduates this May. Among those walking the stage were DeGlorias Bass (left). The 63-year-old Bass fulfilled her longtime dream by receiving a bachelor’s degree in special education after 30 years of sporadically taking classes. She joins three of her four daughters in what has become a family tradition – teaching – and plans to work with special needs teenagers for the Clark County School District.

The spring class of 2004 is:

• 60 percent female, 40 percent male.
• 28 percent minority.
• 77 percent Nevada residents.
• from 44 states and Guam; and 31 foreign countries.