Dentistry alumni share their feedback

By Diane Peters

The voice of Dentistry's alumni family is critical to future success at the Faculty. That’s why the Office of Advancement at the Faculty of Dentistry now sends out an annual alumni survey. 

“It’s an important avenue for alumni to share with us what they might like to see in events, communications and changes around the Faculty,” says Selina Esteves, director of advancement. The Office of Advancement runs the survey and shows the results to senior leaders at the Faculty, including the dean.

A few years ago, Advancement ran a one-off survey to gather feedback on the Awards of Distinction Gala — information from which led to the gala being downsized and the award program redesigned to the Alumni of Influence award.

In early 2020, Advancement launched a new, more holistic alumni survey. The survey contains roughly 30 questions seeking alumni's views of the Faculty and how they feel about things such as events and communications and even about their past experiences with the school. 

Advancement received help fine-tuning the content of the survey from some alumni including assistant professor Greg Anderson. “I like a survey that’s very specific and focused, and lets people opt out of questions,” he says.

Results from the 2020 survey show that, of the 263 respondents, over 80 per cent identify more with the Faculty of Dentistry than the University of Toronto. While 77 per cent say they are proud of their U of T Dentistry degree or diploma only 43 per cent say it shaped their career. A resounding 80 per cent of respondents believe the Faculty creates “skilled, ethical practitioners.” 

“The dean and our office were really pleased to see that,” says Esteves.

Respondents said they maintain a connection with the Faculty by keeping in touch with friends and colleagues, reading the U of T Dentistry magazine, doing continuing dental education courses and attending events.

When asked when they felt most valued, respondents cited their top instance was when they tell others where they graduated, followed by attending class reunions and receiving communications from the Faculty.

Not all the feedback was positive. “We were looking for the negatives too,” says Esteves. “If you only hear the positive, you never know where to make a change.”

For instance, 76 per cent of those who give to charitable organizations say they don’t give back to the Faculty. Many mention their experience as a student had not been positive. Some also commented that they didn’t like being communicated with only for fundraising purposes. 

Anderson says surveys can be a powerful tool, but only if those being surveyed hear about the results. “There has to be follow up,” he says. “You need to make sure people feel like their answers made a difference.”

For example, respondents indicated that they like events that include continuing education, so the Office of Advancement now provides alumni events that award CE points or have an educational component. That includes the wellness webinar about mindfulness in Dentistry this past July. There is also an effort being made to share information and updates about the culture at the school, now focused on both academic rigour and enriching student experience. 

Esteves says that the dean has seen the survey and results have been shared with the senior leadership team.

"It's important for alumni to know that their shared experiences laid the foundation to make positive change," says Esteves. 

The 2021 edition of the alumni survey will be distributed digitally in February. It will only take a few minutes to complete and the results will influence decisions big and small at the Faculty. 

View the 2020 Dentistry Alumni Survey results