History

University Dental College was chartered in 1887, opening that fall with six students.  Through an agreement among Northwestern University, Chicago Medical College, and University Dental College, the U.D.C. students were allowed to attend lectures at the other schools.   At a time when most dental programs were two years, U.D.C. required three years, a policy which depressed enrollment.  By 1891 with enrollment at 19, U.D.C. closed for lack of funds.

 

However that fall, Northwestern University, wishing to become more closely aligned with professional programs, added a reorganized U.D.C. under the new name of Northwestern University Dental School.  Now that a three-year program was mandated by the National Association of Dental Faculties, enrollment reached 128 by 1895.

 

Another  reorganization occurred in 1895-96 through a merger with the American College of Dental Surgery.  By terms of the merger, A.C.D.S.  president, Dr. Theodore Menges, assumed the management of the  school, now located on his campus.   Two years later, a third dental school, Northwestern College of Dental Surgery, was added to the merger. With the death of Dr.Menges in 1900, control of the school passed entirely to Northwestern University.    

 

The 1901 Purple and Gold shows a student body of  484, with 190 graduates.  These were taught by a faculty of 14 professors and 24 instructors/demonstrators.  Students were largely from the upper Midwest.  More than half of the graduates were from the Illinois-Iowa-Wisconsin triangle, with Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, and Indiana heavily represented.   There were five female graduates.

 

N.U.D.S. sponsored a band, a glee club and three different quartets.  In addition to religious and cultural programs, the Y.M.C.A. assisted new students with housing and course materials,  N.U.D.S. had chapters of three dental fraternities as well as one sorority.

 

Throughout the Twentieth Century, Northwestern University Dental School grew to become one of the top five dental schools in the nation.  But by the end of the century, rising costs caused many private universities to drop their dental departments.  Over the protests of  the students enrolled, Northwestern University closed its dental school  in 2001.