Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Lonnie Norris will step down in August 2011 after 15 years in his role.
Norris has been lauded for his contributions to the dental school, especially a five-story, $68 million addition to the school's facilities that was completed under his leadership last year.
"He has elevated [the school] to newer heights, functionally and physically," Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha said, calling Norris "a Tufts treasure."
"What he provided was an unusual period of growth and stability," Mark Gonthier, the School of Dental Medicine's Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, said. "He has been a tremendous dean and a tremendous leader."
Norris's fundraising efforts resulted in the realization of the massive Boston campus expansion in the midst of an economic downturn. New assets include an expanded simulation clinic, meeting areas for alumni and expanded space for continuing education, Gonthier said.
"It will enable the dental school to continue to recruit great students and faculty and expand its programs," Bharucha said of the addition.
The facility has also allowed for increased service to the community. Because of the addition, Norris said, "we are in a better academic position and service condition."
Bharucha said that he plans to announce a search committee for a new dean soon. The committee aims to make a decision about Norris's successor next semester, in advance of his August departure. Norris hopes the next dean will not face difficulties during the transition period.
"Every leader of the dental school in the past … has left a strong foundation for the next person to take on this leadership," he said. "I hope I've left a really strong foundation for someone else to take it to even higher peaks than I have done."
Bharucha said Norris has succeeded in elevating the school to a very high plateau.
"The new dean will be coming in with a school that's in perhaps the best condition that it's ever been," he said.
The months between the selection of the new dean and Norris's official retirement should help smooth the transition process, Bharucha said. Leadership is currently in place that will also help with the changeover, according to Gonthier.
"There's a very good group of senior leaders in the school that will steer us through what will come next," he said.
Norris said that while he hopes to enjoy an easier schedule in retirement, he does not plan on completely removing himself from the world of dental education. He said he plans to remain active on some boards and doing consulting work.
"There are still things that I can make some contributions to in dental education," he said.
In his final year, Norris said he will continue to pursue an active role in the school's administration and further his goals for the school. One of these major projects is raising funds to reach — and possibly surpass — the dental school's $40 million portion of the university's broader Beyond Boundaries capital campaign. "We're about 90 percent there," he said.
Norris credited other administrators, alumni and students for his success as dean. "If I've had success, it's because of the support that I've received from others," he said.
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Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Mark Gonthier as the School of Dental Medicine's Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs. Gonthier is actually the school's Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs.
