I would like to clarify some of the information presented in the article in The Citizen on Feb. 18.
The CNC dental hygiene program was a very well respected, accredited program and its graduates were sought after by employers for over 25 years. The previous CNC dental hygiene program did not need to go through a review to "better meet industry requirements."
It was a financial decision made by the college board to suspend both the dental hygiene and dental assisting programs in the spring of 2015. At that time, the college president clearly stated the intent was to bring the dental hygiene program back at a higher tuition.
There was a huge public outcry and great support from the dental community for both programs.
As a result, the suspension for the dental assisting program was cancelled and the process started by the dental hygiene faculty to renew the dental hygiene program to allow for a substantial tuition fee increase.
The ratio information reported in The Citizen is incorrect.
The clinical ratio has actually increased to one to six, from one to five. This was one of the concessions the faculty had to make to get the program back. The faculty also took the opportunity to make some changes in the pre-clinical (as mentioned in the article) and other aspects of the program.
It is unfortunate the dental hygiene program was suspended as, at the time, faculty presented several other options which would have allowed for continuation of the program while developing the renewed program. The two-year suspension has resulted in a loss of opportunities for students, a lack of dental hygiene care for the CNC dental clinic patients and a loss of several valuable faculty members.
I know the faculty, Dean of School of Health Sciences and senior administration have been working hard to ensure a successful relaunch of the new dental hygiene program. I wish them all the best in the future.
Carole Whitmer, recently
retired CNC dental hygiene
faculty member
Prince George
