In November the local chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), a national dental honor society, installed a new slate of officers to serve for the 2010-2011 year during the fall business meeting in Gainesville, Fla.
Donald Cohen, D.M.D., M.S., a professor in the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences, was installed as president of the Xi Omicron Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Matthew Dennis, D.D.S., a clinical professor and chair of the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, was installed as president-elect. Ronald Watson, D.D.S., an associate professor emeritus in the department of Restorative Dental Sciences, continued in his role as secretary-treasurer. Arthur Nimmo, D.D.S., F.A.C.P., a professor and chair of the department of Prosthodontics and Director of the Predoctoral Implant Dentistry program, is the immediate past president.
Omicron Kappa Upsilon began in 1914 at Northwestern University Dental School. A committee from this group petitioned the faculty of the school saying they were “desirous of organizing and funding a national honorary fraternity similar to other honorary fraternities now existing in the leading universities . . . but which shall consist of dental students exclusively; admission and membership to which shall be based upon scholarship and character as manifested by election by the faculty.”
The Xi Omicron Chapter was chartered in 1974 with 20 UF College of Dentistry faculty members from various chapters around the country.