 On behalf of the American College of Dentists, welcome to our new fellows. I'm Dick Jones, President, and it's my privilege to give you a brief overview of this prestigious organization, one with a distinguished past and an equally exciting future. Fellowship in the college is an honor, and more importantly, it's an opportunity to serve the profession and society. Leadership is more than a ward or recognition. It's a call to leverage generations of experience, dedication, passion, and motivation to advance our common mission, to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership and dentistry. So what is the college? You were not chosen by accident. You were invited to join the college because you have demonstrated excellence. You've made significant contributions to the profession and society, and your good work has already embodied the mission. This is a special organization made so by the commitment and dedication of the fellows. The basic principles that gave rise to the college have endured for more than 100 years. That is, to elevate the standards of dentistry, to encourage graduate study, and to grant fellowship to those who have done meritorious work. Those ideals represent rather bold measures for the times. They also provided the basis for the college's pivotal role in transforming dentistry from a trade into a profession through the creation and promotion of the highest standards in practice, education, research, and industry. The college continues to hold the profession to its highest ideals through meaningful programs and projects at both the local and national level. We champion initiatives in leadership, education, research, professional development, ethical conduct, and more. We seek the best for society by seeking the best for dentistry. How is the college organized? The college is rooted in one primary element, you, the fellows. The fellowship is divided into local sections, which elect local leaders. The sections are grouped into eight regencies led by elected regents. The regents serve on the board of regents and represent the sections and fellows at the national level. The organization is also served by appointed at-large regents who provide perspectives on organized dentistry, federal services, dental industry, and academia. National officers are nominated by their peers and evaluated and elected by past presidents of the college. Also represented are our affiliate groups, the American Society for Dental Ethics, a points and member who is also a fellow to serve on the board for four years. The Student Professionalism and Ethics Association, SPIA, also appoints a liaison who is a fellow. A unique aspect of the board is that every two years its members select a resident or young dentist with fewer than five years of practice experience to serve as regent intern. A geographical structure was introduced in the early stages of the college to facilitate interaction and communication among fellows and to encourage grassroots involvement. The fellowship is a large body of excellence, which represents the greatest potential for achieving college initiatives. That potential is unleashed when you, our fellows, are empowered and connected to your local section leadership, the staff and the board of regents. This connectional structure is the functional strength of the college. We have an interesting history. The college has been continuously immersed in the most critical and complicated professional issues beginning in the early 20th century when the Carnegie Foundation commissioned William Geis to report on dental education in North America. That stimulated our founders to reshape dental education. From the beginning, the college has emphasized efforts in education and has successfully worked as a direct catalyst for careful study and change in this area. The college was the only organization of the time stressing what we would today call continuing education. That legacy continues through our partnerships with ASD, ADIA, AAPD, through which we offer meaningful continuing education and scholarships for advanced studies and leadership and ethics. The college was instrumental in the formation of the American Association of Dental Editors, now the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists, or AADEJ. The ACD and the AADEJ have entered into an affiliation agreement and are once again working closely with one another. This important affiliation will provide additional continuing education to our fellows in communications. Our fellows are strongly encouraged to join ASD, AADEJ, or both as their second section. Most dental students in the United States and Canada are given the ACD Ethics Handbook for Dentists, a guide to ethics, professionalism, and ethical decision making. Dental educators also now have access to a growing compilation of dental ethics modules and video facilitation guides for our ethical dilemmas video series, recorded through a partnership with Indiana University School of Dentistry. How do you fit in? You probably already know many fellows of the college. One common thread that really stands out, all fellows are leaders who have committed to excellence, ethics, and professionalism. This high level of commitment allows the college to serve uniquely as both an authority and an influencer. We empower and engage our colleagues, students, and the entire community of oral health care professionals to serve our common mission to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership. For nearly a century, our fellows have courageously advocated for, shaped, and led the profession. You might be wondering about how you were selected for fellowship. Fostering a committed fellowship requires the utmost care when selecting fellows. The ACD nomination process is rigorous. Your accomplishments were first recognized by two fellows in good standing who prepared a nomination packet on your behalf. Your nomination was submitted to the college's executive office and it was then reviewed by a committee of five distinguished fellows who considered your nomination without knowing the identity of your nominator or seconder. What this means is you did not get into the college because of any special connections between established ACD leaders. The confidential, blind peer review process is described in our bylaws and continues to be an utmost importance to our college. What does the convocation mean? When you're officially inducted as a fellow of the American College of Dentist, you experience a ceremony steeped in tradition. Among the symbols included in the convocation are the college torch and mace. The torch symbolizes the vision and guiding light of the founders. The mace, a symbol of authority, includes the engraved names of 20 of the earliest and most imminent contributors to the dental profession. During the convocation ceremony, names are called, but no rank, title, or position is announced for any participant. Thus, the educator, the scientist, the general practitioner, the specialist, whether from a small town or a large city, will receive fellowship in the same manner. Your fellowship certificate is engraved only with your name. Although we may contribute in different ways, our fellowship is equal. An important part of fellowship received by inductees at the convocation is a golden enamel pen that is a replica of the college seal. We hope you will wear this pen with pride for years to come as it represents your commitment to a strong and vital organization. Also available is a lilac and rose rosette lapel pen that's appropriate to wear at college functions. Lilac and American Rose are the official college colors. What are your responsibilities as a fellow? Fellowship has all the rights and responsibilities associated with significant achievements. Honoring dentists for their meritorious achievements is only a part of what the college is about. Fellowship carries with it responsibilities that you affirm when you accept the invitation to join. It is expected that you will be active in the college and participate in college events, especially with your local section, serving your community. We also have an expectation that you will nominate qualified colleagues for fellowship. There is no better way to start your involvement with the college than through the nomination process. Fellowship in the college is a significant career milestone that was shared with you by two other dentists. It is now your turn to lift up worthy peers. Expectations go two ways. I hope you have an expectation that the college will continue to build on its proud history and record of accomplishment. I hope you will also have an expectation that the college, as an organization, will continue to develop activities and projects that further our mission and are worthy of your time and attention. We want you to be as proud of the college as we are of you. Another important aspect of our organization is the foundation. With our commitment to ongoing projects that sustain our mission comes requirements for financial and volunteer resources. The college has an organizational partner, the American College of Dentist Foundation, which is devoted to both fundraising and friend raising for the college. The foundation was established in 1972 to enable the college to raise funds through tax-deductible gifts which, in turn, could be used to support projects and initiatives of the college. All college projects are supported by the foundation through activities that will sustain our mission far into the future. Thank you for your commitment to advancing excellence, ethics, professionalism and leadership in dentistry, and for your time today. A few things I hope you will take into your first year as a fellow are the mission of the ACD is to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism and leadership in dentistry. The college does more than award fellowships. The college makes a difference in dentistry, actively working to improve our profession. The college is not a political organization. The college is known as the conscience of dentistry, excellence, quality leadership, the highest ethical standards and exceptional professionalism are characteristics shared by our fellows. And lastly, you are exceptional people joining an extraordinary organization. I challenge you to continue your service and contributions. The strength and vitality of the college, its proud history and its promising future provide a guiding light for the profession. And you are now one of those carrying the flame. The most predictable future is the one that you create and the most promising future is the one we create together. Congratulations to each of you. We are honored to have you in our ranks.