July 16, 2002 Life may kill athletics, Christmas lights MARIETTA ã As troubled Life University moves to turn its luck around, the school may look to d 07/16/02 By David Burch Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer MARIETTA ã As troubled Life University moves to turn its luck around, the school may look to do away with some of its most high- profile, non-academic programs ã including the elimination of the popular „Lights of Life¾ Christmas display and its athletic programs that have won several national championships. As interim president Dr. Michael Schmidt takes the helm at Life, he begins the process of examining and reassessing all aspects of the university, looking for areas to improve and places for financial and administrative streamlining. „Everything is on the table. There is nothing that is not being looked at,¾ Schmidt said Monday, his first day on the job as the replacement for ousted Life president and founder Dr. Sid Williams. Among the items „on the table¾ are the numerous and costly non- academic programs at Life that have nothing to do with the university¼s core mission as a training ground for future chiropractors, Schmidt said. „Our emphasis right now is primarily with the educational focus of the institution,¾ he said. As the university looks to „re-focus¾ its non-academic programs, some could face reduced budgets and others could be eliminated entirely, he said. No decisions have been made so far. „In the matter of days, weeks at the most, some decisions could be made,¾ he said. Programs like the Lights of Life and the school¼s basketball and track teams brought widespread exposure to the school, gaining attention from those who otherwise have little involvement with the chiropractic profession. As many as one million cars in a season have toured the Lights of Life display, which each December occupies a 2.7-mile along Barclay Circle to view more than 2 million Christmas lights. While Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain and Lake Lanier Islands near Gainsville host similar displays, Life¼s 13-year old show is the only one of its kind in the metro area free to the public. For many in Marietta and Cobb County, annual pilgrimages to the Light of Life have become a holiday tradition. „I know it¼s tremendously popular. They have traffic jams every year,¾ said Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway. „I know (its loss) would be a tremendous loss to Cobb County, as well as to all of metro Atlanta.¾ „I would like to see the lights continue, but I can understand that they need to take care of their finances,¾ the mayor said. Life¼s athletic program offers eight intercollegiate sports that compete as members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The men¼s basketball team won three NAIA championships in 1997, 1999 and 2000, while the men¼s track team won four of the last six Outdoor National Championships. The Life campus includes an elaborate athletic facility featuring a 2,500-seat gym, a state-of-the-art fitness center and an Olympic- quality track and field stadium. In the 11 years of the Life University basketball program, the school has developed a rivalry with neighboring Southern Polytechnic State University. „I think it would be a blow to the rivalry between the two schools,¾ said SPSU men¼s basketball coach Mike Helfer. „I don¼t think it would be good for our kids or their kids to do away with that rivalry.¾ Helfer also noted the prestige that Life University has enjoyed from a national champion basketball team. „So I would hope that would be something they would consider keeping, because of the benefits of the program,¾ he said. But with Life¼s loss of accreditation, the interim president said school administrators have little choice but to look for places to tighten the budgetary belt faced with a future loss of students. Also part of cost cutting will be reductions in the size of the faculty and staff at Life, including a restructuring of the school¼s power structure. The board of trustees ousted five top administrators last week: Dr. Sid Williams, president; Dr. Nell Williams, vice president for student affairs; Dr. Kim Williams, liaison to the president; Dr. Mildred Kimbrough, assistant vice president; and Durie D. Humber, vice president. Schmidt said he does not expect that all positions re-staffed. „There are some positions that are open now,¾ he said. „If you are going to be downsizing, you don¼t have to fill those positions. You can move some people around.¾ The ouster removed nearly $2,000,000 from the university¼s payroll, according to 1997 IRS filings. Other than the interim president position, the only other vacated position to be filled has been acting dean Dr. Debra Pogrelis. And for the foreseeable future, Schmidt said those are the only positions that will be filled. Academics at Life will also undergo an overhaul, with administrators addressing a number of concerns outlined by the Council on Chiropractic Education. „We are going to address those very, very quickly, and I would say dramatically,¾ Schmidt said, adding that much of the curriculum change will apply to the issue of clinical training. As for members of the Williams family, Life¼s new leader said their role with the university is over. While Schmidt is quick say that Sid Williams will forever be the founder of the university, his day-to-day involvement with the university has been severed. Plans for a chancellorship next spring have been canceled. In fact, the position of chancellor does not even exist at Life. As for the Williams family¼s future at the school, Schmidt said „I have not spoken to any of them¾ and said any decision about their future role would be made by the Life Board of Directors. „My understanding is that there is no talk of any role in the future,¾ he said. Schmidt said the giant bronze cast of Dr. Sid Williams¼ hands which adorn the entrance of the university will stay put. dburch@mdjonline.com