Chiropractic star works to revive Life U By KRISTINA TORRES The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 07/21/04 Dr. Guy Riekeman says he watched the downfall of Life University with curiosity, then shock. In 2001 the chiropractic school in Cobb County lost its accreditation. Then its founder was forced out. Students bailed in droves. Riekeman, on his way to a starring role with Life's chief rival, Iowa-based Palmer University System, never imagined he'd be the one to pick up the pieces. Dr. Guy Riekeman, leading an assembly, will be formally inaugurated today as Life University president. He is a chiropractic educator who been working for four months on revamping the struggling school's finances and curriculum. But in March a falling-out with Palmer's board led him to Marietta. In the world of chiropractic medicine, surprised observers called it a coup, like hiring a rock star to headline a show at a dying arena. "It would hurt him" if he should fail, said Dr. Tom Morgan, a chiropractor who has known Riekeman since the new Life president was a student. "That's why everyone wondered why he came." The 54-year-old Riekeman, who has dabbled in cinema studies and ã with his '85 Jaguar and 6-foot-2 frame ã could easily be typecast as a big man on campus, comes to Life having cut a wide swath in the chiropractic world. He has spent years on the lecture circuit and in chiropractic education, recruiting thousands of students and raising millions of dollars. It's a reputation that the struggling Life, which formally inaugurates him into office today,has no choice but to bank on. The college still faces probationary academic and chiropractic reviews at year's end. One wrong step could pull the rug out from under a fledgling recovery. Riekeman, it seems, can't resist the challenge. "It's almost like having a blank palette," he said. "And everybody's excited about painting this thing." If he pulls the feat off, he cements his standing in a very insular profession. Prescription for Life "It's a do-or-die situation for the university," said Peter Scire, a student who, among others, sued Life and founder Sid Williams for negligence when, in 2002, the school became the first chiropractic program in the nation to lose accreditation from the only agency recognized by federal education officials: the Council on Chiropractic Education. Without accreditation, graduates of chiropractic schools ã there are 17 accredited in the United States ã cannot be licensed to practice in most states. Life sued and won back its standing, but a subsequent deal between the school and the council ends this fall, when the council will again weigh Life's fate. "What [Riekeman] needs to do is reach out and redefine what Life University is, not only to the Atlanta community, but the chiropractic profession," said Scire, who, though the students' lawsuit continues, returned to campus last year and expects to graduate in September. "I see a difference. He's listening to faculty, to the students, to the alumni." Riekeman's prescription for Life, honed over four months on the job, has three parts: overhauling the curriculum, investing in research and promoting what may best be described as a philosophic discussion, what he calls "the future of health care policy." The school's two clinics will expand. Life's liberal arts program ã separate from the chiropractic studies ã will focus on health care. Research will explore chiropractic care and wellness, pediatrics and geriatrics. Top of the list: pursue students and money. Rebound in evidence Longtime leader Williams ã forced out two years ago by the school's trustees ã built Life into what during the 1990s became the nation's largest chiropractic school, with 3,500 chiropractic students and an 89-acre campus. When Riekeman took over in March, 700 chiropractic students remained. Its once prized athletic program had been cut. Perhaps hitting bottom, the school's trustees had signed off on a deal to sell the campus and erase a $31 million debt. The buyer would have been a neighboring Marietta institution ã state-supported Southern Polytechnic State University ã but to Riekeman's relief, the deal fell apart in April over concerns of the state Board of Regents. The campus, he said, is a prize the school must keep. Life is coming off its largest summer enrollment ever, Riekeman said. By fall quarter he expects about 165 new chiropractic students in classes. An additional 383 students in other programs signed up this summer, he said, and that should mean a net gain in students ã and tuition. Financially, the school in the last four months has raised $1.6 million in cash, with supporters pledging almost $4 million more, Riekeman said. Lawyers are renegotiating the bonds. The school has also hired several of Riekeman's former Palmer colleagues for key positions, including management and academics. Issues of governance, financial health and instruction will all be closely scrutinized, not just by the chiropractic council, but also by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The association put Life on probation a year and a half ago, and will decide in December whether the school stays on its accredited list. That will have an impact on all degree programs, not just chiropractic. "It's a formidable task, [but] if anyone in the profession could get it done, it would be [Riekeman]," said Dr. Joan Fallon, a New York-based chiropractor. "The key to the individual is that he has respect for all three ã science, art and philosophy ã in chiropractic. He builds bridges on many levels."