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Dr. Marshall and Harriet Goldin Endow Student Seminar Series

October 25, 2006

A new seminar series to coach students on the myriad issues they face as developing professionals has been generously endowed by Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Dr. Marshall (Mickey) Goldin (C'60, D'64) and his wife Harriet Goldin (CW'62). Their $100,000 gift will provide ongoing support for the series, which will focus on the overarching theme of "Developing Life Skills."

The Goldin Seminars will be sponsored by the School's Transitions to Practice Club, a new student organization that began in 2005 under the faculty guidance of advisor Dr. Alan Atlas (D'86), Clinical Assistant Professor of Restorative Dentistry. "Our goal with the Transition to Practice Club is to provide information and skills that will assist students in maximizing the dental school experience and successfully transitioning to and operating a practice, while also enjoying life outside of dentistry," explains fourth-year student Paul Urban (D'07), who was one of the Club's founding members and is serving as President this year.

It wasn't until the Goldins began exploring a vehicle for their philanthropy to the School that the natural connection between the Club's mission and their interests became apparent. As Jim Garvey, Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations recalls, "Once the Goldins became involved, there was a great match and you could feel everything clicking."

Though the specific program topics and format are still under development, current plans call for the Goldin Seminars to feature a series of seminars that will be open to all students, but each seminar will be tailored to address issues most relevant to a particular class at that stage in their dental education. By focusing the seminar offerings to students' progression through school, the goal is to have them build off of each other and reflect practical knowledge and application. Recent dental school graduates and faculty members will also be encouraged to attend.

Harriet Goldin notes, "We are working with the Club to make final recommendations on the concepts for the series, and we have identified a number of broad areas we'd like to address." Those major categories include personal development, addressing topics such as understanding one's personality and learning style, balancing home and family with dental practice, and physical well-being and emotional health; communication skills, including active listening and patient interaction techniques; and career management, involving entrepreneurship, risk management, creative problem solving, and office systems, among others.

Dr. Goldin explains that the Club will draw upon faculty and staff from throughout the School and the University as presenters for the seminars. "The Penn community has a wealth of resources among its faculty and staff. We felt it makes sense to tap into these talented and skilled professionals, whether in dentistry, human resources, business, or medicine," says Dr. Goldin. "We began talking with the Dean about this idea, and we thought, why not draw in other disciplines and some of the younger faculty and really provide some enrichment for our Penn Dental students?" The Goldin Seminars will launch in this 2006-07 academic year.

"The Club is very honored to be working with the Goldins to develop this important series," adds Mr. Urban. "We are excited about joining forces to create a resource that enhances our education and preparation for successful professional practice."

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