Williams: I wasn¼t ousted from Life 
07/30/02
By Phillip Giltman
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA ã Life founder and former president Dr. Sid Williams said 
he was not „ousted¾ from the schools he founded 28 years ago.
„I was never ousted,¾ he said Sunday. „I retired professionally from 
the school.¾
Williams resigned as president of the school at the urging of the 
board of trustees earlier this month, according to board members.
Williams, who has remained largely unavailable during his school¼s 
accreditation crisis, said during a phone interview from California on 
Sunday that he wants only one thing for the school he founded: to 
regain accreditation. And he thinks he¼s going to get it.
„We are looking forward to continuing Life University and bringing in 
thousands of students,¾ he said. „And I want to be there to see it.¾
Williams, 74, said he wants to work with the new leaders at Life 
and help the school regain its accreditation.
„I just want to be helpful,¾ he said. „I have retired; but it is a sad 
day when I can¼t offer some of the wisdom and experiences I¼ve 
gained in the past.¾
Williams said he is looking forward to Life¼s next hearing with the 
CCE at the end of August, a hearing he hopes will bear good news.
„We hope we will pass that satisfactorily,¾ he said. „We think we 
will be reaccredited.¾
However, Life spokesman Will Hurst said the appeals process does 
not allow for any such hearing and the school will file an appeal on 
August 8 in which the CCE will either uphold its decision or 
reaccredit the university.
Williams still speaks in terms of „we¾ when referring to Life, 
although he has no longer holds any official position at the school.
On July 8, Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Chuck Ribley announced 
that Williams and his family had left the school and Williams would 
not retain any role with the university.
„There is no chancellorship at Life,¾ Ribley said earlier.
Williams also criticized the new administration¼s decision to cut the 
school¼s $1.8 million athletic program, suspecting that somebody 
moved hastily forward without planning and proper management.
„Why would you kill a successful athletic program that won 12 
national championships?¾ he asked. „I was so distressed when I 
heard the news and so was Coach (Roger) Kaiser, who I don¼t think 
had even been contacted.¾
Williams said he has supported the decisions of the Board of 
Trustees, even when they rescinded Dr. Kim Williams¼ move to 
replace three board members.
„I think the Board of Trustees is doing everything they can, they are 
doing what they think is best for the school and I don¼t want to 
overstep the wisdom of the board,¾ he said.
Williams also applauded his daughter for the work she has done 
despite the controversy surrounding the corporate board¼s decision 
to remove trustees Dr. Paul Penn, Dr. James Sigafoose and Lee 
Scroggins.
„Dr. Kim, a very hard and competent worker who is an expert in her 
field, took it as a mandate from the CCE to take action and I think, 
as a corporate member, she acted properly,¾ he said.
Even though the Board of Trustees „dissolved¾ Life¼s Corporate 
Board of Members, Williams said the focus of the school should be 
regaining accreditation.
„It doesn¼t make any difference the Board of Trustees rescinded her 
decision or got rid of the Corporate Board of Members,¾ he said. 
„This is not a big issue. We¼ve had corporate members for years and 
never had any criticism from it. It has always been done 
properly and it was done properly this time as well.¾
Williams said he remains puzzled as to how a „credible¾ agency like 
the Council on Chiropractic Education ã a body he said he both 
respects and appreciates ã could strip the nation¼s largest 
chiropractic school of its accreditation. 
„It doesn¼t make any sense that someone wouldn¼t come in and 
help the largest chiropractic school get its accreditation back,¾ he 
said. „Should Life close down, it would be a dreadful impact on the 
entire chiropractic profession.¾
The CCE stripped Life University of its chiropractic accreditation on 
June 10. The school had been on probation with the CCE for the 
prior year.
Before the CCE¼s final evaluation of Life, Williams said he felt good 
about the school¼s accreditation, confident the school corrected the 
deficiencies cited in the CCE¼s June 2001 report, which put Life on 
probation.
„We went out with the full expectation that we met all the 
standards and were accredited,¾ he said. „I think we were 
accreditable.¾
Besides the ramifications of losing accreditation, Williams said his 
other major concern centers on abandoning students leaving 
chiropractic, a decline he said he is witnessing not only with student 
enrollment at Life University but in the chiropractic profession as 
well.
„We are all worried about students leaving,¾ he said.
Williams, who said he has always enjoyed teaching, plans to 
continue working with the Life foundation and hopes to see his 
legacy expand internationally.
„I¼m not going to lay back in the bushes and not do anything,¾ he 
said. „I¼m a very active person. I¼m very involved in the seminar 
aspect in teaching our students how to become successful 
chiropractors.¾
Williams said the CCE has established credible standards and has 
done a credible job thus far, but thinks the accrediting agency could 
do more to help pull Life out of these muddy waters.
„(Life) is a dynamic place, yet we find ourselves in these 
circumstance, it doesn¼t make sense,¾ he said. „Why can¼t they send 
a special person out here and help us get reaccredited.¾
Despite the circumstances, Williams remains optimistic, confident 
Life University will flourish in the same way it has over the last 28 
years.
„I¼m going to keep imagining that there is a Life University,¾ he said. 
„I see it with us.¾
pgiltman@mdjonline.com