MARIETTA ã Dr. Sid Williams¼ resignation from Life University will not include any affiliated 07/09/02 Dr. Sid Williams¼ departure will not include a chancellorship with the university By Phillip Giltman Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer MARIETTA ã Dr. Sid Williams¼ resignation from Life University will not include any affiliation to the school that he founded 28 years ago. Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Chuck Ribley announced the departure of Williams and his family to a packed gymnasium of concerned students, faculty and administrators Monday. The crowd applauded the announcement. Ribley said Williams will not assume a position of chancellor as previously reported by members of the board and Williams himself. „There is no chancellorship at Life University,¾ he said. The university also announced the actions taken last week by the Corporate Board of Members ã led by Williams¼ daughter Dr. Kim Williams ã to oust three trustees have been rescinded, and the board has been dissolved. Ribley said the members board had consisted of a three- to five- person panel authorized to appoint persons to the Board of Trustees. „There will not be three members running Life University ã it will be a board run by 15 people,¾ Ribley said. Ribley and Life Chiropractic College West President Dr. Gerard Clum outlined the options available for Life to regain its accreditation and attempted to clarify the events that have transpired over the last three weeks. Clum, a co-founder and former faculty member of Life University, said a search committee, comprised of several members from the board of trustees, will name an interim president by Friday, once all the interviews for the three potential candidates are complete. The university has been mired in controversy since the Council on Chiropractic Education stripped Life of its accreditation on June 10, citing various violations of CCE standards. Clum announced Monday the university filed an intent to appeal the accreditation ruling, giving Life until August 9 to file a formal appeal. Following Life¼s formal appeal, the CCE will have up to 60 days to respond to the appeal. „After the response is filed, then in no less than 30 days and no more than 60 days a hearing will be established to receive testimony and input on the appeal,¾ according to Clum. Following the conclusion of the hearing, two possibilities may arise, Clum said. One potential outcome is that the appeal panel supports the decision of the CCE and the program immediately loses its accreditation. The other scenario is the appeal panel remands the decision of the CCE and Life remains accredited. Life still retains its accreditation until the appeals process is extinguished. Should Life lose their appeal, Clum said another option for the school is to perform a „teach-out¾ which would allow another accredited school to come in and assume operations only after Life publicly announces that they have shut down operations. The benefit of a teach-out would allow the students already enrolled at Life to graduate from an accredited school. Another option available to Life, Clum said, involved an „additional location,¾ also referred to as a „branch campus¾ which requires a substantive change in curriculum and any other issues cited as deficiencies by the CCE. „Once a substantive change is approved, the program can then offer the degree at the new location,¾ Clum said. Clum said Life West could not perform either option because of its size and lack of staff. „Life West is one-fifth the size of Life University, and I just do not have the people on reserve that I can put on a plane and send to Marietta,¾ he said. Clum did mention that other schools, including Cleveland Chiropractic College, are negotiating with Life University in arranging a possible teach-out. One other option available for Life, Clum said, would be for Life „to regroup and reapply for accreditation,¾ but time could play a factor in that decision because many students are getting ready to graduate. „The circumstances you find yourself in as students are very serious,¾ Ribley said, confident that Life would solve this unprecedented accreditation crisis. The CCE stripped Life of its accreditation for failing to maintain a comprehensive and ongoing system of evaluation and planning; establishing instructional objectives; demonstrating adequacy and stability of basic and clinical sciences, faculty and staff. A separate investigation released two weeks ago uncovered additional violations citing that „there continues to be a pervasive failure at the highest level of (Life University) leadership to seriously embrace or actively promote compliance with many of the requirements of accreditation as noted in the (Council on Chiropractic Education ) Standards.¾ Ribley replaced Dr. Rebecca Ray who resigned from the board of trustees June 18, a little more than a week after the CCE¼s actions. pgiltman@mdjonline.com