Prof. Wanda Cloet Receives Outstanding Service Award From Central Community College

Central Community College (CCC) awarded Wanda Cloet, RDH, the 38th Annual Outstanding Service Award last month. The Outstanding Service Award Nomination Committee considers nominees who have made a positive, identifiable contribution directly affecting CCC and/or the community.

The Nomination Committee describes Prof. Cloet, Director of the Dental Hygiene Program, as a tireless leader who continually improves the program with new technology and science-based products and seeks grants and opportunities to improve the education of dental hygiene students. She is known as a firm believer in lifelong learning who encourages adjunct faculty to continue their education and helps them with the research and projects required to obtain their degrees. Most recently, she led her program through the COVID-19 shutdown, working with faculty and other national leaders to adapt the clinics and labs to meet CCC recommendations and government health mandates. 

Prof. Cloet also oversees a service-learning program that benefits underserved populations in the CCC area by providing patients with access to care they otherwise wouldn’t have. Dental hygiene students screen more than 4,000 children in local elementary schools, Head Start programs and preschools, providing them with dental sealants, oral health screenings and dental health education. They also screen about 200 patients a year at Project Homeless days in Hastings and Grand Island.

Prof. Cloet serves as a site visitor for the Commission on Dental Accreditation and is active on the local, state and national levels in a variety of dental hygiene organizations.

Published on January 13, 2021