Life U., CCE reach agreement regarding 
school¼s accreditation

MARIETTA ã Life University reached an agreement Tuesday with the 
Council on Chiropractic Educa 
06/25/03


By Matt Schafer
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
 
MARIETTA ã Life University reached an agreement Tuesday with 
the Council on Chiropractic Education that should assure Life 
remains an accredited school, Life officials said.
Life President Dr. Ben DeSpain said the agreement, reached 
Tuesday, gives the university a certain path toward continued 
accreditation.
„We now have a path. We are now able to focus on the future 
instead of trying to secure a future,¾ DeSpain said.
CCE officials did not return phone calls, but issued a joint statement 
with Life on Tuesday.
„The agreement continues Life¼s current accreditation status and 
provides for a special accreditation process,¾ the statement reads.
The agreement doesn¼t solve any disagreements, or require 
concessions from each side. It does say both sides will work to 
reach agreement no later than January 2005.
DeSpain said he thinks the university will reach an agreement with 
CCE before 2005.
„I don¼t think it¼s ever a foregone conclusion that two sides will 
reach an agreement,¾ he said. „But I know there will be a difference 
at Life, and I believe there will be one at the CCE.¾
The CCE stripped Life of its chiropractic accreditation in June 2002. 
CCE officials told Life that the school would have to wait until June 
2004 before applying for accreditation, with the hopes of being 
accredited by January 2005 at the earliest.
Soon after the school lost accreditation, students started leaving 
the school. Life¼s enrollment plummeted 87 percent from a high of 
3,200 two years ago to 459 in January.
Life University filed a lawsuit against the CCE in January claiming the 
Arizona-based accrediting agency acted unfairly in its decision to 
strip the Marietta institution of its chiropractic accreditation and 
failed to give Life adequate time to reapply once accreditation was 
lost.
In February, Eleventh Circuit U.S. District Judge Charles Moye Jr. 
granted Life an injunction against the Council on Chiropractic 
Education¼s decision to strip the school of its chiropractic 
accreditation last year.
DeSpain said the dispute with the CCE arose from ideological 
differences and a breach of trust.
„I think there is probably a huge element of trust that was at the 
heart of the issue,¾ DeSpain said. „They had very good evidence in 
fact that what Life was saying in some of its documents were not 
what in fact was being done. Finding that situation was very 
destructive.¾
DeSpain declined to elaborate on any discrepancies in accreditation 
reports and actual teaching practices.
„I choose not to drag those things out and go into them because 
it¼s not constructive,¾ he said. „I am responsible for the things that 
happened on my watch.¾
Life trustee Judge Kenneth Nix said the agreement was the right 
thing to do. 
„It¼s good for the students, and it¼s good for the school,¾ he said. 
„It¼s the right thing to do. Certainly it feels good.¾
The agreement is a collective sigh of relief for life students, faculty 
and alumni, DeSpain said. It will now allow the school to move 
forward.
„I think for students, we can say come on, it¼s certain now, we¼re on 
the right track,¾ he said. „We anticipate that the steady stream of 
students who went elsewhere and are returning will be 
accelerated.¾
DeSpain said he anticipates 850 students will be enrolled in the 
doctorate programs and 500 undergraduate students by the start 
of the next quarter.
„In three years I think we will be the best program in the nation, 
and within five years there will be no doubt,¾ he said.
mschafer@mdjonline.com