MMSU College of Dentistry welcomes new dean
By Ian Paul Villanueva
The university’s youngest college, the MMSU College of Dentistry (COD) welcomed its new dean, Dr. Artemio Licos, Jr., on Monday, March 9. A welcome program at the NACIDA Building was held to mark Dean Licos’ installment.
Bringing with him an expansive career in both government service and academia, Dean Licos is set to chart and lead the path forward for the two-year-old college even as it aims to become a leading dentistry school in the country in the near future.
Guided by the university’s vision to be a premier university in Southeast Asia by 2033, Dean Licos said in his speech, “Our university’s vision is not merely a statement written on paper, but a promise that we will continue to educate individuals who are competent, ethical, and committed to improving society.”
As the only dentist in the Philippines who holds a Doctor of Public Health degree, a co-founder of the Philippine Academy of Dental Public Health, and presently the Chair of the Board of Examiners of the Philippine Board of Dental Public Health, Dean Licos brings valuable and unique expertise and leadership experience to MMSU.
In his message, MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., thanked Dr. Licos for heeding the university’s invitation to lead the college. “We thank you, Dr. Licos, for accepting our invitation to teach at the College of Dentistry and become its Dean. We look forward to the great work and results that await the college.”
President Manzano also conveyed his hopes for the pioneer dentistry students to perform well in their board examinations in the future. “My prayer is that we will start strong with the COD, just like the College of Medicine, which we all know consistently attains high passing rates in the licensure examinations,” he said. “With Dr. Licos’ work ethic and expertise, this is not impossible for the COD,” he added.
Alongside, President Manzano, Vice President for Academic Affairs Aris Reynold Cajigal also graced the welcome program. He expressed his thanks to the Department of Health and the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC), where Dean Licos headed its Dental Medicine Department.
“It is imperative that the college is led by competent and qualified leaders such as Dr. Licos, and we are so grateful to ITRMC, to the Department of Health, and to Dr. Licos for giving MMSU an opportunity to welcome him and to work with him in his capacity as the Dean,” Dr. Cajigal said.
Now in its second academic year, the Doctor of Dental Medicine program offered by the COD caters to sixty-two (62) students, 22 of whom are second-year while forty (40) are first-year.
At present, classes are held at the College of Medicine. A 25-million-peso building for the college is currently being constructed, and another 150-million-peso building, President Manzano said, is underway hopefully within the year.
Mar, 10, 2026 09:47:am
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