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Down the hallway from the Academy Meeting, the PFA Foundation held their annual Board Meeting and Grants Review Session. Foundation President M. David Campbell called the Meetings to order with Trustee James Long giving the Invocation. All the Trustees and ex-officio Officers were present except for Dr. Nicholas Saccone, who was infirmed and could not travel from Pennsylvania.
President Campbell reviewed the Foundation Committees:
• Executive Committee (Chair President David Campbell)
• Grants Committee (Chair Gary Lowder)
• Budget & Finance Committee (Chair Treasurer William Kort)
• Disaster & Relief Fund (Chair James Long)
• ByLaws & Policy (Chair Howard Mark)
• Public Relations & Web Site (Chair Michael Perpich)
• Memorial & Tributes Funds (Chair C. Larry Barrett)
• PFA Museum Foundation Board (William Kort as Representative).
Treasurer’s Report
Foundation Treasurer William Kort was in excellent form. He had spent some time this year getting the books and records transferred from retiring Treasurer-emeritus George Higue to a new accountant located closer to his office.
Investments made by Dr. George Higue are still locked in at 6.5%, but as they mature, the best that can be achieved right now is at 4.54%. Operating expenses have remained within the budget.
Fund-raising efforts by Vice President Larry Barrett have produced some substantial addition to our principal. The fund-raising effort is schedule to continue for three years, with many Fellows making installments on their pledges. Some 12 Shira Awards were presented at the annual Banquet.
The Budget for 2006-07 was presented, discussed, and approved.
Bank of America Investment Corp’s Frank Buchholz was present to review all the Foundation’s investments and make suggestions about their future placement.
Bank of America’s Frank Buchholz
describes the Foundation investments
ByLaws & Policy
Chair Howard Mark presented the final revised copy of the ByLaws as amended last April for final ratification by the Board, which was adopted.
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Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Fred Halik noted that the Minutes of the April Interim Meeting last April in Chicago had been mailed to everyone. He then called for any corrections before their adoption.
Dr. Halik discussed some of his operation problems in sorting out the many misconceptions about filing for Foundation grants. He urged everyone to check out the Web site first as that would answer many of the questions both he and Richard Kozal had to field from the many inquiries.
He particularly noted the confusion in some minds between the work that the Academy does and that of the Foundation. Because Dr. Halik had been a past Academy President and Dr. Kozal has been the Executive Director, both are well versed in each other’s duties and can handle most of the inquiries. But answering questions that are on our Web site are very time-consuming efforts apart from their routine duties. A check of the Web site and its links would be more efficient for all concerned.
With Grants Program applications on the Web site in a downloadable form, requests for forms have dropped 75% in the last year. While Grant requests have dropped 20% over the past year, those rejected also were reduced by over 80%, resulting in more Grants to be considered in 2006.
The Scholarship Program always has a few glitches. 64 U.S. dental school scholarships were allotted, but five dental schools have never replied to two mailed notices to the deans. Those schools not responding for the student scholarships are: the Universities of Arizona, Boston, Colorado, Florida, and the Nova Southeastern (Florida).
Of the non-U.S. dental scholarships presented for 28 dental schools, only nine were picked up last year. Lack of response from the schools themselves is the major problem, but the lack of the Section Chairs and/or Trustee to assist in defining which are legitimate dental schools and helping to make contact with them is the other. This year, 29 non-U.S. dental schools have been selected.
The Disaster & Relief Committee as a response last year to aid in the Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath was a compassionate expression of the Foundation’s desire to be of assistance. However, parameters upon which the Foundation could become involved were difficult to establish. What was done was that the Academy rescinded dues payment for 2005-06 for the Fellows from the affected area, upon receipt of a letter from them asking for this relief.
The Foundation awarded a substantial grant to the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic. That clinic had accepted LSU students from New Orleans to operate a preceptorship program out of their facilities to assist the displaced dental students in achieving their clinical requirements in order to graduate. All the LSU students were able to graduate on time, thanks to the Foundation funds to help expand their facilities to accommodate them. The first two floors of the New Orleans-based LSU School of Dentistry were totally ruined. The scramble from the area’s affected dentists for new dental equipment made it nearly impossible to move the entire school to Baton Rouge, establish clinical facilities there, and build up a patient load. The established Community Clinic was able with funding to expand their operation to encompass the students’ needs without negatively affecting their own dentists’ needs. The situation was so successful that LSU is undertaking the same program this year while the dental school is being rebuilt.
Academy Report
PFA President Howard Mark gave a report to the Foundation Board on the status of the Academy’s activities to date. He then submitted his request for the Academy for two grants to cover publications and to upgrade the PFA Web site.
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