Lasting Impressions | Winter 2014

newspaper cited six dental schools, all private, throughout the country, which closed between 1986 and 1992. But, Melnick thwarted the skeptics by saying in the article: “We have about half of our admission slots filled, and we did it with- out any major announcement or press conference, just word- of-mouth.” According to Oliet, “several things worked for us to start a school.” Just like the educators who saw a future for a private university in Broward County, Oliet, Melnick, and the late Morton Terry (the former chan- cellor of the Health Professions Division), believed that having people aligned with the College of Dental Medicine who were in the dentistry profession was one of the biggest pluses to move the school swiftly to opening and to build a strong foundation. “We used our common sense, our backgrounds in dentistry, and the knowledge of our friends in the field. We found teach- ers here—retirees, dentists who really wanted to go back to work,” Oliet said. RECRUITING A TEAM Then, with the initial faculty established, Oliet began recruit- ing a team to work with him on “political concepts, finances, how to maintain and establish a school,” he said. “We started off from scratch with no knowledge.” He recruited Sigmund Stahl, D.D.S., an internationally recog- nized periodontist, and worked closely with Peter Keller, D.D.S., (currently executive associate dean at the College of Dental Medicine) and Frank DePiano, Ph.D. (past provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at NSU), who “was very essential in the development,” Oliet said. In 1997, DePiano, founding dean of the Center for Psycholog- ical Studies, became associate dean for academic and student affairs for the College of Dental Medicine. In 2000, he became associate dean for administration at the dental college. And, of course, there was Mor - ton Terry, a doctor of osteopathy who opened the Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1981 with private funds. It eventually became the Southeast- ern University of the Health Sciences. In 1994, Southeastern University merged with Nova Uni- versity, creating Nova Southeast- ern University. Fred Lippman, R.Ph. , Ed.D., chancellor of NSU’s Health Pro- fessions Division, remembers Terry’s contributions and how his dedication resonates today. “To work with Dr. Terry was both an honor and an inspiration,” said Lippman. “Dr. Terry was one of the first in Broward County to practice in the African American communities back in the 1960s when that was unheard of. He was the kind of doctor who went out into the streets. He knew what RIGHT: Linda C. Niessen, the college’s newest dean, is shown with the college’s founding dean, Seymour Oliet (seated), and her direct predecessor, Robert Uchin (standing). BELOW: The College of Dental Medicine pre- pares its graduates for the rapidly expanding and demanding future of dentistry. NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE x 13