The academic environment of deans, program administrators, and faculty is embedded in the notion of change and progress. They are routinely engaged in coping with change needed to keep dental schools viable and robust—
ongoing decision-making and action planning regarding effectiveness, efficiency, economy, performance, impact, quality, and competitive advantage. The national and global environment continues to present new challenges that
impact schools. Administrator and faculty awareness of the fast-moving environment in which they work makes them
susceptible to claims that what they’ve been doing may no longer be adequate; maybe they need to do something
differently to shape dental education. Such talk of needed shifts, innovations, and improvements, coupled with new tools from other disciplines, predisposes them to advance ideas and schoolwide initiatives. To know that this activity
will result in meaningful change requires schools to embed and sustain adequate practices for institutional assessment.
When administrators and faculty propose initiatives, the risk and resources are usually significant. Assessing comparative evidence at hand is essential before moving forward.