What We can Learn from You

By Selina Esteves

This past summer, the voices of our alumni, students, faculty and donors were sought to learn more about how Advancement and the Faculty is positioned in the minds of our community and how we can offer the best experiences to our wider alumni family.  

Our alumni family encompasses students, faculty, instructors, staff, alumni, donors and volunteers. Each group and individual person is truly central to the work in Advancement which includes alumni relations and fundraising.  

Alumni, students and donors shared their views with Rank Research Group in private interviews as part of a qualitative research study. Nearly 200 people volunteered for the 18 spots that were selected based on age, location, year of graduation, graduate program and gender to ensure there was diversity in the group.  

The alumni that were chosen were: those that did not appear to have a strong connection to the school. The select donor participants were alumni who were engaged enough to share their finances or time with the Faculty, and students were from different DDS years and graduate programs. 

We are incredibly grateful for the time and insights this cohort shared with our research partner who was able to distill the information and provide us with key learnings and opinions, some of which we share below.  

The importance of this detail for us at the Faculty and in Advancement is it allows us to shape our programing to create the warm and inclusive alumni environment we are hoping to enhance at U of T Dentistry.

Each person who is connected to this school whether it be a current or former student, faculty member, instructor, a donor or sponsor has a vital role to the school’s success and building a culture that embraces the U of T Dentistry mission and vision. 

Please find some of the key learnings that we want to share with all of you:

• You believe that the Faculty is a gateway to the wider world of dentistry 
• You shared that Faculty’s strengths lies in research and see U of T Dentistry as one of the top dental schools
• You want focus on clinical practice so it too is recognized as much as research
• You are eager to understand not just the achievements made by and improvements made to the Faculty, but how they were made
• You are interested in the human stories that make up the Faculty, past and present
• You see the Faculty as steward of the dentistry community 
• You shared a feeling of familiarity to the people who make up the Faculty, beyond your classmates or cohort
• You want to build meaningful connection to present students and Faculty members 
• You require transparency in how funds are used within the Faculty 
• You appreciate impact reports that outline the difference your contributions have made
• You appreciate personalization in the acknowledgement of your contributions 
• You requested that we be sensitive to asking for donations too early after graduation
• You really like the magazine but want to be sure it is not just a giant advertisement for the Faculty
• You want to be included in our storytelling versus focus too much on the Faculty itself

By sharing your thoughts, opinions and stories, you have given us the opportunity to respond. There is no question there is always work to do and we can always do better, but gaining the insights from you – our most important stakeholders, we have a chance to really create a rich and exciting environment that you find most engaging. The future for our Faculty is charged with positivity and I look forward to carving our path forward with you.