If approved, the college will differ from most dental schools by offering a year-round three-year curriculum instead of the four years it usually takes to earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
Graduating high school students could also take advantage of a “3+3” plan and obtain their Daemen biology license in three years and their DDS in three more, to become dentists in six years instead of eight.
The year-round program will also mean more seamless care for area residents who can get dental care at a lower cost through the program, Shatkin said.
“Patients won’t have to take time off in the summer, so there won’t be any disruption to patient care, and we’ll also keep students engaged year-round,” he said.
Shatkin has a lease-to-own agreement with Phillips Brothers that will allow him to purchase the building at some point in the future, he said. For now, the building materials company is doing more custom orders and less warehousing, so there’s room to build the new university space in about 15,000 square feet of the 39,000 square foot building.
“We’re going to take just under half of the building, put a second floor there, and create a wonderful space for training future dentists,” Shatkin said.
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