As The Ohio State University continues to focus on our academic excellence strategy, I am pleased to share that Carroll Ann Trotman, dean of the College of Dentistry, has been reappointed to a five-year term, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, pending Board of Trustees approval.
Dean Trotman’s leadership of the College of Dentistry has resulted in several improvements that have helped elevate the college’s physical space, strengthen faculty initiatives and expand graduate education in support of Ohio State’s land-grant mission.
The college maintains strong recruitment with stable enrollment across all programs, and it is in a solid financial position. The new dentistry building has been successfully brought online, and clinical operations have been modernized, including the transition to the EPIC electronic health record system — all of which enhance the experiences of students and patients. Dean Trotman has also overseen the completion of the Postle Hall expansion project, which provides additional clinical services and new educational opportunities that support future growth, such as digital and laser dentistry.
The college now has a state-of-the-art Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging facility, and in December, the Board of Trustees approved $16 million to add a new dental simulation space for students in Postle Hall. The college has also launched an expansion of its outreach efforts to support underserved communities, focusing on children and elderly patients by adding two additional mobile clinics.
Under Dean Trotman’s leadership, the College of Dentistry has increased the number of clinical and tenure-track faculty while maintaining a stable number of associated faculty. It has also launched initiatives focused on faculty well-being, including hiring a wellness coach and launching a faculty salary review that benchmarked against other Big Ten peers. Dean Trotman also appointed an associate dean who launched separate mentoring and promotion and tenure support programs.
I am grateful to Dean Trotman for all she does to advance excellence at the College of Dentistry. In addition, I want to thank the reappointment committee, which was chaired by Patrick Louchouarn, senior vice provost for leadership and external engagement. I am also grateful to all those who provided valuable feedback to the reappointment committee and to Dean Trotman during this review process. My team and I are particularly appreciative of our many alumni who reached out to express support for our College of Dentistry.
As we look ahead, we anticipate that Dean Trotman will continue to build a great leadership team that works closely with the rest of the college to identify academic pinnacles in support of our academic excellence plan. In her second term, Dean Trotman will be working closely with our dentistry faculty, staff, students and alumni to provide the best possible training and practice experiences for our learners. In addition, she will collaborate to increase the college’s visibility with alumni, professional organizations and donors to elevate the college’s profile and develop a comprehensive fiscal plan that ensures long-term sustainability.
Please join me in congratulating Dean Carroll Ann Trotman.
Sincerely,
Ravi V. Bellamkonda
Executive Vice President and Provost