Remembering Dean Richard Elzay
Richard P. Elzay, DDS, MSD, former dean of the School of Dentistry, passed away in mid December.
Elzay was the ninth dean of the School of Dentistry, serving from July 1, 1986 until 1996. He earned three degrees from Indiana University: a BS from the College of Arts and Sciences, a DDS with high honors and an MSD in oral pathology. After graduation, he established himself in academia. He joined the Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Medical College of Virginia in 1962, before becoming professor and chairman of the department in 1969. From 1970 to 1974, Elzay served as Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at the Medical College of Virginia.
His contributions to academia and the profession led to grant-supported research centered on tumor growth and malignancies and served as the foundation of 61 published papers as an individual or coauthor. He engaged in extensive service to numerous organizations, including the Academy of Oral Pathology, the American Board of Oral Pathology, the Commision on Dental Accreditation and the American Cancer Society, Virginia Division and Minnesota Division, to name only a few.
Elzay joined the school as a leader during unsettled, yet challenging and exciting times, becoming the ninth dean. As budgetary turmoil seized the university and the number of applicants to dental and dental hygiene programs waned, the university threatened to close the School of Dentistry. However, as Mellor Holland shared in A History of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry: 1888-1988, “Elzay had the strength of character and personal resolve to confront and conquer serious problems that developed for the School of Dentistry during his first two years as dean.”
When Elzay accepted the position and joined the school, he shared, “I consider it a distinct privilege to come to the University of Minnesota where the pursuit of excellence is a valued tradition. I look forward with pleasure to the unique opportunity of working with the dental faculty, staff and students of acknowledged quality and with the high caliber dental community of MInnesota concerning the various opportunities and challenges facing the profession as it plots its course to meet the dental health of Minnesotans.”
When threatened with the school’s closure, Elzay created a Strategic Planning Committee, sharing that “academic planning is an absolute necessity if our school is to maintain its prestigious standing among a rapidly changing health care environment.” This committee and its ultimate strategic plan positioned the school toward the research and service mission of the university, a direction the school has continued to take to this day. The plan led to a four-department structure and established an office of Educational Research, Planning and Development to address standards set forth by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, as well as the establishment of several new programs, including the Dental Research Institute, the Clinical Research Center for Periodontal Diseases, the Primary Care Training program and the Dental Implantology Service.
In 1988, Elzay led the school in its Centennial Celebration, having appointed what he called the “Whiz-Bang Committee” to plan the celebrations. He oversaw a Centennial Symposium and a Centennial Faculty and Staff Day.
From 1993 to 1994, Elzay served as the Interim Deputy Vice President of Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota. In retirement, he and his wife, Celia lived on a farm in Central Virginia and pursued wildlife conservation, farm and forest land preservation, animal rescue and sustainable living. He was also deeply engaged in community service.
Perhaps most importantly, Elzay had a profound impact on those around him.
“Dean Elzay was remarkable in his trust for the faculty to reshape the School and its future,” said Mark Herzberg, DDS, PhD, professor of basic sciences. “He was a clear, logical thinker with a sense of order helpful to the strategic plan process. He possessed respect for all elements of our tri-part mission, and was able to articulate it well. I remember him as a gracious individual, gentle and kind to others. He was courageous in reshaping the administrative structure of the school, and he made others feel respected. He was supportive, wanted to give more to the school than the average person and stood fast for the School of Dentistry.”
“I am truly thankful for Dr. Elzay’s contributions to the profession of dentistry and our school, and invite you to join me in honoring his memory,” shared Dean Keith Mays, DDS, MS, PhD, in an email message to the school community.
“With Dean Richard Elzay at the helm, the School of Dentistry weathered the turbulent storm during 1986-1988. The personal resolve of Elzay to triumph over the school’s enormous problems resulted in a herculean rallying effort by the faculty and staff members to come to grips with the issues and move on…These achievements and others were testimony to the motivation and abilities of the faculty and staff under the leadership of Dean Richard Elzay.”
Mellor Holland, A History of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry: 1888-1988
Elzay’s family requests that memorials in his honor be made to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, where a fund will be established in his name. Checks can be made payable to the University of Minnesota Foundation, PO Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0266, or memorials can be made online at give.umn.edu by filling out the memorial/honor of section in the giving tool.
Information in this article has been sourced from A History of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry: 1888-1988, by Mellor Holland.