SIU School of Dental Medicine Commencement to Honor Resilient Graduates
The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) will celebrate its 46th class of graduates during its commencement ceremony being held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5 in the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus. The SIU SDM will also honor its 2020 graduates during a special hooding ceremony being held at 1 p.m.
The Class of 2021 ceremony will honor 56 students with the conferral of their doctor of dental medicine degrees. The ceremony will celebrate 50 students from the traditional DMD program, as well as six graduates of the International Advanced Placement Program.
The SIU SDM Class of 2021 boasts a 100% first-time pass rate on the new Integrated National Board Dental Exam (INBDE). Students also performed remarkably well on their Clinical Board exams, another strong measure of the School’s outcomes.
“The Class of 2021 has endured the particular challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting both their third and fourth year of dental clinical education,” said SIU SDM Dean Bruce Rotter, DMD. “Despite the additional obstacles they had to overcome and the new protocols to which they had to adapt amid the pandemic, these students effectively managed their patients and worked diligently toward fulfilling their graduation requirements. We look forward to honoring their tremendous achievements.”
Perry Tuneberg, DDS, will deliver the commencement address. He serves on the Commission on Dental Accreditation Standing Committee on International Accreditation and as a dental board examiner for the Central Regional Dental Testing Service. He works with numerous organizations and agencies to provide veteran’s oral health care and donated dental services.
Tuneberg is past president of the Illinois State Dental Society and a former trustee of the American Dental Association Board of Trustees. He is a recipient of the American Dental Association Presidential Citation for his efforts at the national level in expanding dental access for the underserved. In 2020, he received the Illinois State Dental Society Distinguished Member Award.
The SIU SDM commencement ceremony can be viewed live at siue.edu/tv.
Photo: Perry Tuneberg, DDS, will deliver the commencement address for the SIU School of Dental Medicine Class of 2021.
