Posted on Thu, Jan. 27, 2005


State board kills chiropractic school at FSU

BY GARY FINEOUT

gfineout@herald.com


GAINESVILLE - Florida's Board of Governors today killed a proposal to set
up the nation's first chiropractic college at Florida State University, a
move that puts the board squarely at odds with the Florida Legislature.
Legislators last year guaranteed $9 million a year for the chiropractic
college at FSU, but the Board of Governors asserted that it alone has the
power under the state Constitution to approve or deny any new degree
programs at the state's 11 public universities. The board was created by
a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2002.
The board voted against the college by an 11-3 margin, as a majority of
members questioned the need for the program and whether it fit into FSU's
mission to become a nationally recognized research university. Board
members said they were disappointed that FSU's own board of trustees did
not take a stronger vote in favor of the school two weeks ago.
FSU President T.K. Wetherell said the university would not defy the board
and move ahead with the program, although he said he doesn't know how the
Legislature will react or whether it act to take back the money it
guaranteed the university a year ago. The law says that FSU can use the
money for other purposes until it is used for the chiropractic college.
Wetherell said he will ask for a meeting with Gov. Jeb Bush and
legislative leaders to decide what to do next.
Wetherell said he wasn't surprised by the vote, but he said he was
''frustrated'' by a process that put the university between the
Legislature and the Board of Governors.
The chiropractic college had been pushed into law by two powerful
lawmakers, including former Senate President Jim King, a Jacksonville
Republican and prominent FSU alumnus. But board chairwoman Carolyn
Roberts said she was confident that lawmakers would not punish FSU or the
university system after Thursday's vote.
Jack Hebert, who represents the Florida Chiropractic Association, said
the decision would not end his group's bid to start the school. The
association was instrumental a decade ago in raising money for a
professorship at FSU that led to studies looking at whether a college
should be started.
''This is a bump in the road. It is not over,'' Hebert said.