Proposed FAU dental school gets mired in presidential search controversy

A planned dental school that Florida Atlantic University successfully fast-tracked through the state now faces delays, faculty criticism and questions about whether its ultimate fate could be tied to a prolonged search for a new president.

Right now, FAU plans to open a new College of Dentistry in 2027, Dr. Joel Berg, a consultant working with the university to develop the school, told a faculty committee at a recent meeting.

That’s a year later than the university said in August, and two years later than when it first proposed the dental school in 2022.

“2027 is the plan, and I’m confident we will meet that target,” Berg told the Steering Committee of the university’s Faculty Senate at the Oct. 26 meeting.