In an unprecedented move, the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) on June 10 informed the approximately 2,600 students attending Life University, College of Chiropractic, Marietta, Ga, that it had denied reaffirmation of the college’s accreditation. The decision means future Life graduates will not be able to take licensing examinations to become practicing chiropractors.

School officials, in a message on the university’s website, assured students that they would appeal the council’s decision. CCE policy allows accreditation to continue until the appeal process is completed.

“You shouldn’t go off on your summer vacation and worry about what’s going to happen to Life,” Life University President Sid Williams, DC, said at a June 13 assembly addressing nearly 1,000 students, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Although the CCE did not cite specific deficiencies, a June 10 letter to Williams from the CCE’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) indicated that the program did not meet a list of four CCE standards, which included a curriculum that fully incorporated the sciences. The COA also cited faculty oversight and instruction on diagnosing whether a patient should be treated by a medical doctor or a chiropractor, according to the Associated Press.

“Doctors of chiropractic are expected to be responsible members of the health care community and know the limitations their unique skills offer patients,” says Mark Cotney, DC, a Thomaston, Ga, chiropractor and chairman of the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners, which issued a statement supporting the CCE’s decision.

The COA’s letter also criticized the university’s administration, noting a failure to establish and maintain an environment appropriate for education and employment. Though it did not specifically target Williams, he quickly fell under fire from students and faculty who believed the real problem resided in his authority.

Supporters of Williams feel the loss of accreditation is due, at least in part, to politics regarding his management and the “straight” philosophy of chiropractic that Life teaches, the Journal-Constitution reported.

“Although the CCE may have strong grounds on which to make their decision, they do so at the peril of pluralism and principles that have stood the test of time,” says Joel E. Margolies, DC, a 1978 graduate of Life, former Life teacher, and Chiropractic Products’ editorial advisory board member.

“You always target the loudest person,” Stacey Goodson, a Life student, told the Atlanta paper. “What [Williams has] built is huge.”

Student critics of Williams began petitioning June 12 for his resignation and that of other top university officials, according the Journal-Constitution. The following day, the 74-year-old founder announced plans to step down as president in March to take on the nonsupervisory role of chancellor. Williams said his decision to resign was made before the revocation, the Journal-Constitution reported June 14.

The loss of accreditation leaves Life University’s future unclear, including its ability to attract and retain students without accreditation.

“This has been very frustrating. We all have a lot of unanswered questions, such as will we be grandfathered to graduate if we have 6 weeks of school remaining when the decision comes back to us from the CCE?,” says Lesley Freedman, a student scheduled to graduate in December 2002. Freedman plans to continue at Life until the appeals process is complete.

At press time, Williams was considering a merger that would allow a CCE-accredited chiropractic school to take over Life’s program in an attempt to allow students to graduate, according to the Journal-Constitution. CP