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Dean's Message
Dear Colleagues, The Dental Mirror is one year old. It was conceptualised as our organ to communicate the activities of the Faculty to our Alumni. I am happy that interest has been generated through your various inquiries and your positive feedback. I must give credit to the Publicity and Publication Committee and especially Dr Foong Weng Chiong for his untiring efforts to churn out the previous newsletters. The Dental Mirror is in its infancy but dentistry in Singapore has matured and in 1999, the Faculty will be celebrating its 70th Anniversary. I would like to urge each and every alumnus to join and contribute generously to this auspicious occasion. It is our show. Let us take this opportunity to show our unified spirit. As I begin my new term of office, I would like to say a big thank you to my staff - academic and non-academic and especially to you the alumni for your past and continuing support. Best wishes for the year and I look forward to your continued support and your participation in the 70th Anniversary celebrations in 1999. Chew Chong Lin
This issue of the Dental Mirror comes during the less than auspicious tiger year, at a time of regional financial turmoil, when countries in Asia are re-examining their financial systems in an attempt to restore confidence in their markets. It is in such 'propitious' times that I have been asked to step in as the editor of the Dental Mirror! It is perhaps timely, in the wake of rapid economic expansion of recent years, that the nations in the region pause for a period of reflection and self-examination. Likewise, in this issue of the Dental Mirror, we focus on the divergent issues of expansion and introspection. In line with the university's thrust towards international recognition, several Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with established Universities and are noted in this issue. The Dental Faculty is also not lagging behind in the area of information technology and the internet. People around the world will now be able to visit us at our new Web Page - the Roll of Dental Graduates and latest updates in the dental field are but a 'surf' away. As the faculty approaches its 70th anniversary and celebrates its achievements, some introspection and self-examination might also be worthwhile. We took a step in this direction at our Strategic Planning Meeting held in November 1997. Faculty Staff met together to give the administrative system a thorough rethink. No stone was left unturned - from teaching methods to research directions. In our quest for regional and international status, it is essential that we do not travel the path of the complacent. In the current state of uncertainty, certain time-honoured axioms must change. As the rest of Asia is now discovering, there must always be time for frank self-criticism and the ability to adapt to fast changing circumstances. Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative. Dr Winston Tan
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