[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 6/29/02 ] 
Life may have to close to keep teaching 
By MARY MacDONALD 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer 
Life University will have to close its chiropractic program if it wants another 
school to teach its remaining students on the Marietta campus, an option that 
could cripple the university. 
The Council on Chiropractic Education told Life trustees its accreditation 
policies do not cover mergers or partnerships between chiropractic schools. 
The Marietta university can appeal its lost accreditation or close and have 
another accredited school educate its remaining chiropractic students, said 
Joseph Brimhall, chairman of the council's commission on accreditation, which 
revoked the Life program's accreditation June 10.
Another option would require Life trustees to abandon their planned appeal 
and allow an accredited school to apply for council permission to establish a 
satellite program at Life's Marietta campus.
But that would mean the Life program would lose accreditation, which will be 
continued by the chiropractic council only through an appeal.
Trustees quickly organized a conference call Friday to consider options. Earlier 
in the week, the board said it planned to pursue both an appeal and a 
cooperative agreement with another school that could allow its students to 
graduate from the Marietta campus. The trustees have until July 10 to file the 
appeal.
Several board members and the university attorney declined to comment 
following the meeting.
Shortly before the conference call, trustee James Sigafoose rejected the 
suggestion of a closure.
"We have no intentions of closing the school or of blowing these students off," 
Sigafoose said. "It doesn't have to do with brick and mortar. It has to do with 
these students." 
Eighty percent of university revenues in 2001 came from tuition paid by 
chiropractic students, according to a report filed with the accrediting council. 
Before accreditation was lost, the chiropractic program had 2,600 students, the 
largest in the nation.