The University of Southern California School of Dentistry is a private professional school with a unique heritage and an international reputation. The school is one of the cornerstones of professional excellence that contributes to the special strengths of its parent university environment. It is proud of its legacy of contributions to dental science. The core strength of the School of Dentistry rests with its renowned faculty. Their reputations as educators, scientists, and health care professionals secure the school's continuing place as a leader. During the years following its founding in 1897, the School continues to emphasize its uniqueness and history of excellence: an unparalleled professional education combined with equally respected research and clinical care programs. At the same time, the School is ready to accept a new challenge to incorporate scientific excellence into an over-arching framework of humanistic compatibility that will become the new hallmark of the school's mission in the 21st century.