Dental Hygienist instructor Jennifer Bartek wears scrubs, a lab coat, her name pin and white clogs four of the five days in the dental clinic. 

“I think we (dental hygienists) should wear white shoes,” Bartek said. “All my students tease me about that. It’s a little old fashion.”

She works five days a week in the clinic helping students. Because of her hard work, Barteck was appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels to be on the Indiana State Board of Dentistry.

Bartek said she was surprised to hear the good news.

“I felt very honored,” Bartek said. “I felt qualified. I was not sure about the process. I had my resume over a year ahead, so it wasn’t necessarily something I was thinking when it all happened.”

Daniels did not meet with her, but from Bartek’s understanding, a committee including the governor looked over her resume and agreed to appoint her, she said.

“Basically when you have an interest or think that your skill set is such that it will be good for that board, you basically send your (resume) to the governor,” Bartek said.

A group of dentists, one dental hygienist and one public member make up the board. Bartek is the second-ever dental hygienist appointed. Bartek said there wasn’t always a dental hygienist position.

“I feel like I have some very big footsteps (to fill),” Bartek said. “I hold the last dental hygienist in high regards.”

She said she will go to Indianapolis every other month to meet with the board for the next three years. After her third year, she will be evaluated and can potentially be appointed for three more years after that.

Bartek said she has board responsibilities that she is still learning.

“I have homework,” she said with a smile. “The students will have fun with that. I do want to do a very good job. Soaking in the responsibility has been my first task.”

The first meeting took place in the beginning of August, but Bartek said she already feels comfortable in her role.

Bartek’s personal expectations and responsibilities are keeping the public safe and representing dental hygienists well.

“That’s how I intend to live my life as a professional, as a health professional,” she said. “Keeping the public safe has always been important to me even since I was your age in college. It was very close to my heart, so I felt like this was a natural transition.”

Bartek has worked at USI for 23 years, beginning as a part time employee and then full time. She said USI hired her upon completing her master’s from USI.

She said she doesn’t expect anything but high standards from her students here at USI.

“As I move onto retirement, it makes me feel good that we are graduating dental health professionals here that have the same standards I do,” Bartek said.

Junior dental hygiene major Caitlin Dame said Barteck’s appointment into the Indiana State Board of Dentistry is important in this kind of career.

“It’s important to be recognized in the community like this,” Dame said.

Junior dental hygiene major Elissa Corbitt said Bartek is always helpful in the dental clinic on campus.

“She makes it understandable,” Corbitt said. “She’s very ‘this is what you need to do,’ and then she goes through every single detail with you. That’s how we’re learning.”