Dr. Alicia Spence Named Director of Recruitment and Admissions at Texas A&M Dentistry
Alicia Spence, D.D.S., was named Director of Recruitment and Admissions at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (Texas A&M Dentistry) after more than a decade in various teaching and administrative roles. Dr. Spence served as Interim Director in 2024 and served on the Admissions Committee for several years.
Alicia Spence, D.D.S.
Ernestine S. Lacy, D.D.S., M.A., Associate Dean of Student Affairs, praised Dr. Spence’s work ethic, energy and positive attitude.
“She brings to this position needed experience, innovative ideas and professionalism,” Dr. Lacy said. “Dr. Spence has both a sincere love of the College of Dentistry and a genuine care for its students and everyone at the college.”
In Dr. Spence’s role, she travels around the state to recruit students from major universities, including Texas A&M, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas and University of North Texas. She will increase recruiting efforts to include Texas Tech University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and smaller colleges and universities in person and via video conferences.
“Ninety percent of our students are from Texas; it’s required,” she said. “They come from all over. We get students from Texas A&M, of course, and from UT-Austin, the University of Houston and from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
Dr. Spence’s devotion to Texas A&M Dentistry runs deep.
As Kinesiology major at Rice University in Houston, TX, Dr. Spence was about to enter her senior year when she shadowed at her family’s longtime dentist in San Antonio, TX. A six-week summer predental enrichment program at Texas A&M Dentistry later gave her hands-on experience and the confidence to pursue dentistry.
Dr. Spence wasn’t accepted the first time, so she entered a post-baccalaureate program at the dental college while taking science classes at The University of Texas at Dallas. She married and had a baby while in dental college, so she relates to non-traditional students.
“[Faculty members] wanted me to have all the resources that I needed,” she said. “They wanted me to be successful, and I could feel that.”
Dr. Spence graduated from Texas A&M Dentistry in 2012 and, after working for a mobile practice treating geriatric patients, returned to the college as an Adjunct Professor in 2013 and as a full-time faculty member in 2014 because she wanted to help students. She continues to teach as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Comprehensive Dentistry, co-founded the dental college’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee and mentors student researchers.
“Our students come from all over, and I like that because they will treat patients from all over,” Dr. Spence said. “They will go back to all these areas of Texas that need them.”
Courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry
Published on August 13, 2025