Nomination Process
Fellowship Process Insights
American College of Dentists
By
An Anonymous Member of the Credentials Committee
 "How does someone become a Fellow of the American
College of Dentists?" This is an often-asked question by those who desire
Fellowship. This question is also occasionally asked by members1 of
the College who don’t understand or remember the process involved. From the
comments and questions that continually circulate about the College, it is
obvious that Fellowship in the College is much sought after and held in the
highest esteem by those who are already Fellows.
Fellowship
Fellowship in the American College of Dentists is by
invitation and is it based on a proven, confidential, peer-review system that
has remained intact since the inception of the College in 1920. Before
commenting on the membership process, it is important to understand why the
concept of Fellowship was established. The College was founded by the president,
vice president, and secretary of the American Dental Association (then called
the National Dental Association) and by the president of the National
Association of Dental Faculties (forerunner of the American Dental Education
Association). At the time of its founding, dentistry was plagued with a variety
of problems, particularly in the areas of education, journalism, and research.
The College was specifically conceived "to elevate the standards of
dentistry, to encourage graduate study, and to grant Fellowship to those who
have done meritorious work." Fellowship was instituted to promote
excellence within the profession by recognizing it. Outstanding dentists were
singled out and honored as positive role models to the profession. Fellowship
reinforced the highest ideals of dentistry. Fellowship was not designed to
circulate honors among a small clique.
Qualifications for Fellowship
What qualifies a dentist to be a Fellow of the American
College of Dentists? In its most fundamental sense, Fellows of the College have
records of leadership, excellence, and meritorious achievement in dentistry or
public service. For dentistry, these credentials may be reflected in
professional organizational involvement, dental education, dental research,
dental journalism, or other areas. Additionally, candidates must be members of
the American Dental Association or an equivalent foreign organization if
applicable. There is also an ethical component to Fellowship as specified in
early College records, "The candidate…must be of good moral character,
and have a reputation for ethical conduct and professional standing that is
unquestioned. Personality, integrity, education, unselfishness, and high
professional ideals as well as freedom from mercenary tendencies shall be
considered."
Fellowship in the American College of Dentists is a distinct
honor and it is often the high point in a dental career. Only about 3.5% of
dentists in the United States have been granted Fellowship in the College.
Fellows of the American College of Dentists truly are an elite group. Fellowship
is bestowed only if the accomplishments of the nominee are truly outstanding and
epitomize excellence.
How Do Dentists Become Fellows?
Candidates for Fellowship must be nominated by two Fellows in good
standing, a nominator and a seconder. The nominator should be reasonably
confident that the candidate is a member of the American Dental Association;
this will be officially checked later in the process, but it saves time at this
stage. The nominator is responsible for ensuring that a completed nomination
package is submitted by January 15th to the Executive Office in Gaithersburg,
Maryland. The nominator is also responsible for using official forms and for
reviewing the forms for quality and completeness prior to submission. The
nomination process has been greatly simplified during recent years and the
nominee may optionally fill out much of the information required. Lastly, the
nominator must complete a Nominator’s Support Statement and include it in the
package. The Nominator’s Support Statement is one of the most important
elements of the process as it often contains information not included elsewhere,
particularly as the information relates to leadership. In other words, it can
answer the questions, "What was done?" "Why was it
important?" and "What was the benefit?"
A Confidential Process
The nomination process has been designed from the beginning
to be confidential. There are several dimensions to the confidential nature of
the process: 1) nominees should not know that they are being nominated; 2) the
Credentials Committee does not know the identity of nominators, seconders, or
local consultants; and 3) the identity of Credentials Committee members is not
disclosed, even to the Board of Regents. The confidentiality exists for a
variety of reasons. The College has historically maintained that a true
membership-by-invitation-only process is one that is not disclosed to the
candidate. In other words it was preferable to have a process initiated by
peers, not by self. All candidates are not selected for membership. If the
candidate is aware of being nominated and then not extended an invitation, a
difficult and often embarrassing situation arises between the nominator and
candidate. This situation is avoided by maintaining confidentiality.
Confidentiality also eliminates the possibility of outside influences affecting
the selection and approval process. It would not make any difference to the
Credentials Committee, for example, if the candidate were nominated by the
President of the College. The committee simply does not know who nominates
someone, and the President of the College does not know who is on the committee.
This ensures that each nomination is considered on the strength of its own
merit, not on the credentials, reputation, or influence of the nominator. This
process also ensures that Fellowship is based on individual qualifications, not
on who one knows.
Local Consultants
The credentials process involves giving local consultants—Fellows of the
College—an opportunity to provide input to the Credentials Committee for
candidates in their communities. Local consultants fall into two categories,
those in the local geographic area and Section officers. Local consultant
reports are often misunderstood as having potential "blackball"
authority. This is not the case. Local consultants provide recommendations and
applicable supporting information to the Credentials Committee. The Credentials
Committee in turn evaluates this information in the context of all information
presented. Local consultant reports are an important factor in the selection
process, but not the only factor.
Credentials Committee
The Credentials Committee is composed of five Fellows who have a history of
participation in College activities and who also represent broad, balanced
interests. Committee members encompass a variety of professional backgrounds,
including private practice (both generalist and specialty), education, research,
government service, and other areas. The review process by the Credentials
Committee requires hundreds of hours of work to evaluate the 250 to 400 or so
nominees reviewed each year. The committee thoroughly evaluates the record of
each nominee before forwarding recommendations to the Board of Regents for final
action. The Executive Office oversees the review process. Although this is an
elaborate, time-consuming process, many feel it has established and maintained
the American College of Dentists as the premier honorary organization in
dentistry.
The Credentials Committee reviews hundreds of nominations each year over a
brief period. When completing the official nomination form, directions must be
followed carefully and all applicable areas must be addressed. Deficient
applications may be rejected or deferred until the next meeting of the
Credentials Committee the following year. In cases of deferred applications,
additional information will be sought. An electronic nomination portfolio is
also available from the Executive Office. It is important to remember that
reprints of publications, news clippings, and other
supplemental materials should not be included with the nomination forms. [Ed. note: Curricula vitae are now used with the simplified nomination forms.]
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In most cases the Credentials Committee is not personally acquainted with
nominees and cannot make assumptions about the individuals being nominated. As
in any review system, Committee members cannot read between the lines, so the
nominator may want the seconder or another College member to review the
nomination for clarity and completeness before submission. Nominators, seconders,
and approved nominees are notified of the review process outcome in late April
of each year. Nominees are then inducted into the College at the annual
Convocation ceremony that takes place in conjunction with the ADA Annual
Meeting.
When the Credentials Committee reviews each nominee, committee members pay
particular attention to indications that the nominee is or has been in
leadership roles, both in organized dentistry and in public service. The
Credentials Committee is especially concerned about the ethics and
professionalism of the nominee. The Credentials Committee’s focus is one of
identifying meritorious achievements, demonstrated leadership, a record of
excellence, and potential above the level expected of most professionals at a
similar career stage. General areas evaluated for all nominees include career
development, professional achievements, dental organization involvement and
leadership, civic and community achievement and leadership, publications,
presentations, honors and awards received, and ethics and professionalism. Age,
race, ethnic background, gender or other similar criteria are not considered.
From time to time individuals who have not been elected to Fellowship in the
College, as well as College members themselves who have unsuccessfully nominated
a candidate, are heard to say that someone must be "blackballing" the
nominee. Under the system used by the College to review nominees, no one
individual can prevent a nominee from being elected as a new Fellow. In fact,
only a majority of the members of the Credentials Committee or the Board of
Regents can reject or elect a nominee. There is a high level of agreement among
Committee members regarding their individual evaluations of nominees indicating
that the Committee is consistent in its evaluations.
It is important for Fellows of the American College of Dentists to remember
that the lifeblood of our organization is a strong membership that exemplifies
leadership and excellence. The College must continue to seek qualified new
members. Some Sections have established membership committees to evaluate and
identify members of the profession that should be considered for nomination.
Often times qualified and deserving individuals are "overlooked" and,
for whatever reason, are never nominated for Fellowship. The College could
benefit from these "overlooked" individuals. The American College of
Dentists will continue to be made up of the best of the best if we fortify our
ranks by nominating qualified and deserving individuals. Most Fellows recognize
and understand that the addition of new, highly qualified, and respected
individuals into our membership enhances our personal prestige and that of the
College. In addition, association with such individuals creates a synergism that
helps us all to be better. Nominators take special pride in walking with their
candidates at the Convocation, and afterwards are also expected to introduce
their new Fellows at Section meetings. Completing nomination forms is not all
that is expected of a nominator.
Nominations for Fellowship are encouraged of all College members. Most
members of the College recognize that part of their responsibility to the
College is to identify and nominate other leaders that are qualified for
Fellowship in the College. If you know of someone deserving of College
membership, you should contact the American College of Dentists Executive Office
for a nomination portfolio. You will be surprised how easy it has become to
nominate someone for Fellowship. Fellowship in the American College of is a
great honor. Let’s keep it that way!
Excerpted, in part, from the Journal of the American College of Dentists,
68(2), 2001, 4-7.
1 The terms "member" and "membership" are
used interchangeably with the terms "Fellow" and
"Fellowship," respectively.
Request Nomination Forms
Please note that the nomination process was greatly simplified in October 2006 for both electronic and printed nominations.
e-Nominations Fellows may request an Electronic Nomination Portfolio to propose dentists for Fellowship. Use this link to request the portfolio by e-mail, available in two separate attachments. It is designed for MS Word, version 7.0 or later. Compatibility with other versions, word processors, or platforms is uncertain. Please specify "electronic nomination portfolio" (or similar) in the subject line of the e-mail. Nomination forms are also available for direct download in the Members section.
Printed Forms Alternatively, Fellows may also complete a printed Nomination Portfolio designed for use with a typewriter. Use this link to request printed forms by e-mail, or telephone or fax the Executive Office.
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