Mary Lynn Froeschle, D.D.S., associate professor, UNMC College of Dentistry Department of Adult Restorative Dentistry and director of patient care, has been selected as the American Dental Education Association’s 2002 Warner-Lambert/Enid A. Neidle Scholar-in-Residence.
Dr. Froeschle’s selection was announced recently at the ADEA’s 79th Annual Session and Exposition in San Diego.
“It will be a rewarding and valuable opportunity to look at dental education from a national perspective,” Dr. Froeschle said.
The Scholar-in-Residence Program for Women, co-sponsored by the Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare Division, Pfizer, Inc., was named for Dr. Enid A. Neidle, the second woman appointed president of the ADEA in 1986.
Dr. Froeschle said she was impressed by the collegiality of the group of women she competed among.
“The selection process was a positive experience,” she said. “Past recipients of the award have been very supportive and enthusiastic about the program and the time they spent in Washington.”
The program provides the scholar with a three-month residency at the ADEA office in Washington, D.C. The fellowship enables the scholar to focus on a broad range of issues facing dental faculty members such as promotion, advancement and tenure policies, advanced education and research opportunities, leadership, mentoring and other education-related issues.
“I hope to gain a better understanding of workforce issues.” Dr. Froeschle said. “I also want to address recruiting and retaining women and minority faculty locally and nationally.”
During her residency experience, Dr. Froeschle will collect data from dental colleges across the country and survey faculty to evaluate departmental work patterns. Her goal is to identify areas in which to recruit and retain a diverse dental faculty and to foster a more productive workforce, particularly for women and minorities. She also will be exposed to a broad range of activities, including visits on Capitol Hill, the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies in the D.C. area.
Dr. Froeschle became interested in leadership, motivation and organizational behavior while working on her master’s degree in business administration. Her interest was further piqued through various experiences, including attending the ADEA’s First International Women’s Leadership Conference.
“I appreciate the support from the dental college and look forward to working in Nebraska with mentors like Valda Ford and Fred Luthans,” Dr. Froeschle said.