US. FCA An in-depjh Palmer President, Gu Florida Chiropractic Assocki talk about the race to start up a c and the interesting turn of events wh p*h Q & A Guy Riekeman, and Nation, CEO, Debbie Brown, a chiropractic college in Florida which slowed the FCA's progress.... In an interview with The American Chiropractor (TAC), Dr. Guy F. Riekeman (GFR) answers TAC's questions concerning Palmer College of Chiropractic, and its plans for establishing a college in Florida. TAC: Dr. Riekeman, please give our readers some introductory information about yourself. GFR: I became the eighth president of Palmer College of Chiropractic in October 1998. and was named president of Palmer College of Chiropractic West and the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research in February 2001. I am a 1972 honors graduate of Palmer College, and have enjoyed a varied career working as a successful chiropractor, in academia, and founding Renaissance and Quest Alliance seminars, which gave me the practical experience of helping 7.000 offices handle everything from new patients, staff and finances to enhanced clinical care. At Palmer, I head the two campuses and the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. There are two additional entities that round out the Palmer Chiropractic University System, the Palmer Foundation for Chiropractic History and the Palmer Institute for Professional Advancement. All of us report directly to Chancellor Michael Crawford, who directs our efforts and communicates with the Board of Trustees. TAC: Tell us about Palmer College, and its purpose, direction and goals. GFR: Palmer College of Chiropractic was founded in 1897 by the discoverer of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer. There are approximately 1,665 students enrolled in the doctor of chiropractic program, and nearly one of every three chiropractors in the world is a Palmer graduate. We also have an undergraduate program and offer a Master of Science degree in Anatomy. Last year, despite a trend of decreasing enrollment in graduate programs nationwide, Palmer College was the only chiropractic college to experience a significant increase in enrollment. Our purpose, vision and goals are to have the finest curriculum and faculty; an open collegial environment that generates inquiry into life and health: the most intense basic science and philosophy curriculum and incomparable, rigorous graduation requirements; graduate the best technicians who are lifelong learners; and provide a research center for the profession that examines everything from chiropractic's impact on conditions to wellness and the subluxation complex. So, we are moving forward on many fronts. For example, we are planning to move the Palmer College of Chiropractic West campus to another community in California, and will eventually be building a state-of-the-art campus from the ground up. Our college in San Jose, Calif., is known for its high academic standards. Government funding has provided an impetus for two major projects, a new library and learning resource facility on the Davenport campus, as well as major renovation of our research facility in Davenport. We will be completing $3.8 million in renovations within a year; and, once the facility is fully renovated, the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research and the Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research, headquartered at Palmer, will complete $5 million worth of chiropractic research. This research will range from neck and back pain studies to arduous research into the vertebral subluxation complex. In addition we are finalizing plans for a chiropractic student day care center, as well as training the future leaders of the chiropractic profession through our innovative Vogt Leadership Society. We have already completed a $13 million campus renovation, including state-of-the-art "smart" classrooms with satellite ' communication technology, green space and an upgraded X-ray facility, and we are embarking on the initial phases of a capital campaign. Our goal is to increase our endowment to $100 million within the next 10 years. Another key area for Palmer is chiropractic research. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research is the largest chiropractic research facility in the world, and is the principal institution through which federal money is funneled for chiropractic research. The research facility recently received a National Institutes of Health grant for $1.3 million for facility renovation. In addition, Palmer Continued on Page 30 .. .from Page 26 received $1.6 million in government funding for a $13 million library and learning resource facility. The College has created a successful partnership with ASPEUR Feevale. in Brazil, to create the first chiropractic program in South America, and is establishing a chiropractic college in Port Orange. Florida. My personal agenda is for Palmer College to bring science, philosophy, technique and practice management together in teaching, graduating and nurturing successful chiropractors, who are prepared to lead the profession into the 21st century. I also want to take a leadership role in bringing chiropractic to the table in national discussions about the future of health care. This is the agenda I brought to Palmer College, and it has never varied in the three years since. 1 am not a political person in the philosophical '"straight vs. mixer" context. If I am political, it is in my willingness to fight for the idea that strong science, philosophy, technique and business management programs can co-exist peacefully and support each other in the chiropractic educational setting. I am also a strong advocate for ensuring that chiropractic has a role in the national discussion of the redefinition of health care, in health care ethics, if you will. Chiropractic must have a seat at the table in all national discussions of this nature, and I will fight to the bitter end for our right to be there. The presidential cabinet, a group of administrators, actually provides leadership for the school. I sit at the head of the table, but the quality of our administration is in the collective talent and vision of this group, which includes graduates from many different chiropractic colleges as well as non-chiropractors. The cabinet includes: C. Randall Heuston. Executive Director of Marketing & Recruit ment, a 30-year communications veteran with experience in news papers, advertising and marketing, including 10 years of experience with Palmer. William Jarr. Chief Administrative Officer, a veteran of the banking industry with significant corporate management experience. Kevin McCarthy, D.C.. M.S.Ed., Vice President for Academic Affairs, graduate of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. William Meeker, D.C.. M.P.H., Vice President for Research, graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West. Gary Mohr. Vice President for Student Affairs and Executive Director of Community and Gov ernmental Affairs, one of the most well known governmental liaisons in the chiropractic profession. Shelley Simon, D.C., Ed.D.. Vice President for Academic Systems, graduate of Western States Col lege of Chiropractic. Clay Tuttle. D.C., Director of Alumni, graduate of Palmer Col lege of Chiropractic. : At Palmer, I believe we are managing to create the best of all worlds—we have spent more money on chiropractic research than any other chiropractic college in the world, and, yet, our faculty includes the top minds in chiropractic philosophy, too. We are also building a program to help our students manage their businesses successfully, and this program extends one year after graduation. And we are on the cutting edge of curriculum development, as we build a chiropractic curriculum that begins clinical care on day one. and then teaches basic science, philosophy, technique and practice management in conjunction with the clinical experience, so that students immediately see the relationships between all of these aspects of chiropractic and how each is relevant to the other. TAC: Over the past few years Palmer College has been working toward finalizing plans for the establishment of a chiropractic school in Florida. Can you fill our readers in on exactly what Palmer has been working toward, the time involved, and where you currently stand with your efforts? GFR: Palmer is moving forward with plans to establish a campus in Florida, while also embarking on other major initiatives. Palmer had considered establishing a college in the Southeast for more than 20 years. About three years ago. the college was invited by city leaders in Port Orange. Florida., to set up a college there: and, today, that planning, as well as Palmer's financial investment, continues at an accelerated pace. Port Orange officials had developed an aggressive city plan to attract certain types of businesses, and were looking for a high-quality college to locate there. It seemed a perfect fit. We continue to work with city officials in Port Orange to open the doors of our Florida campus. The state of Florida has a rigorous process regarding the opening of educational institutions in order to protect its citizens from so-called "diploma mills" that solicit tuition and registration fees and, then, leave the state. Currently, we are in the process of facilities and curriculum planning, and are working toward an opening date as early as the fall of 2002, depending upon Palmer's success in achieving certain plateaus, such as state licensure. To date there have been no fundraising efforts initiated by Palmer in Florida to help with establishing our campus there. As the school becomes established, like all non-profit institutions, we will be conducting campaigns to enhance the quality of our education and scholarship base. TAC: We have heard many rumors about Palmer College's influence in the outcome of the FCA's ongoing legislative fight for the establishment of a separate government-funded chiropractic program in Florida. Can you tell us what actions Palmer College has taken that may have influenced the FCA's legislative fight? Is it true that Palmer invested $1 ()(),()()() to lobby against the FCA's government funded school? GFR: As The Fountainhead of the chiropractic profession, we. at Palmer, have a keen interest in and a sense of responsibility about the nature and quality of chiropractic education. And. Palmer has a stake in chiropractic education in Florida. We have made significant investments in terms of time and money in bringing high-quality chiropractic education to the citizens of Florida and the Southeast. We have every right to be there—in the political, educational and civic arenas. Just like every other organization, including the FCA. we have a right to participate in the democratic process and have our views expressed. Chiropractic leaders and prominent chiropractors from as far away as California and Texas have resorted to childish, unprofessional name-calling and letter writing to the Florida governor's office. These are the same people who accused us of "meddling", and have always screamed about "states rights" (letting only local chiropractors determine the future of the profession in their state). There has been so much emotion and hypocrisy. While the FCA has said that chiropractic colleges support their initiative with FSU. I have never seen a published list of these supporting institutions, nor has it. in my three years with the ACC. ever been discussed by the college presidents. In fact, many of the colleges have expressed the same concerns that Palmer has. And, certainly. Palmer, while being used as a scapegoat for defeating the $1 million appropriation for a chiro- practic college at FSU. was onlv one vote. Louis Sportelli. D.C.. in an article in the Sept. 12. 2001. issue of Dynamic Chiropractic, said. "For whatever reason (we will learn the facts later), the outcome is still the same: The bill failed! Some place the blame on Palmer. My question: Does Palmer really deserve that much credit for the success or failure of this bill, or is it the process that killed it?" TAC: There is a great deal of conjecture circulating as to the motive behind Palmer's actions with regard to opposing the FSl' project... whether it was to protect its own plans for a Florida Palmer branch, or to protect the profession from the type of "chiro medicine" that would be taught in a government-funded school. What explanation do you have for our readers? GFR: When Palmer officials learned about the FCA-driven effort to provide a tax-supported chiropractic medicine program, we were willing to explore some kind of partnership with Florida State University. Palmer and I. personally, had predicted, more than five years ago. that chiropractic would and should be included in public education. I formed a task force to develop a model for this eventuality. Our overriding concern in the public education arena has always been, and will continue to be. the issue of who should be in control of chiropractic education. In general, our concern is whether the education, especially the clinical training, will be delivered by a state medical school, a non-chiropractic dean and faculty or an existing chiropractic college. Based on the consultants' feasibility study, it was clear to us that the kind of chiropractic education that would be delivered at Florida State was likely to be limited to musculoskeletal therapy. possibly controlled, ultimately, through non-DCs at FSU. At the very least, this was an area, like so much of the venture, which was unknown and would be decided later. Should we remain unconcerned and uninvolved with this ambiguity, when so much of our professional identity is on the line? I have been hearing, lately, from people who say that, since the CCE would need to accredit the Florida State program, that would ensure chiropractic's core principles are included in the curriculum. But the parameters of CCE accreditation are so broad, and the state university system is so powerful, that accreditation by the CCE is no guarantee the Florida State curriculum would include the teaching of chiropractic as a total health system, based on the correction of vertebral subluxa-tions and the body's inherent potential to maintain itself. Just look at the vast disparity of teaching standards in this domain at current chiropractic colleges. This issue is not simply about conservative or liberal leanings in our profession. Rather, the drive to implement the FSU chiropractic medicine program (whatever the likelihood of its being funded to completion) posed, at least, a symbolic threat to eventually transform our 106-year-old profession into a subservient adjunct to medicine. I favor integration of chiropractic into every aspect of our society. This was not the integration that I favor: this was changing chiropractic to fit someone else's model. This threat, along with our conviction that the FSU program could become a model for chiropractic in public education and. so. should be controlled by an established chiropractic college, has motivated all of our efforts in Florida. TAC: Do you feel there is a way that the FCA could legislate for this gov- ernment funded school that would accommodate for the concerns expressed by Palmer to protect the philosophy of chiropractic that would be taught in this school? GFR: The FCA could have brought representatives from all the established chiropractic colleges into the process. In this case. Palmer and others were excluded, until the very end. It is also important to remember that only the legislature can legislate: and. even then, once the curriculum is in the hands of the state university system, the university system will maintain control. TAC: Where does Palmer plan on going from here in terms of the plans for establishing a school in Florida? GFR: We are proceeding lull steam ahead with the development of a Palmer College in Port Orange, Fla. Currently we are in the midst of accreditation efforts, as well as plans for curriculum development and marketing. We are also working on campus design and land options. Our plans are to build up enrollment to a total of 750 students. We will pursue minority recruitment, and consider all possibilities for reduced tuition for in-state students. TAC: Is there any lesson that the profession could glean from your experience about this issue to avoid such an occurrence in the future? GFR: In addition to the lesson that all parties need to be included in discussions, when the future of our profession is on the line, be it national legislation or public education, I hope that we have learned an important lesson about professional identity. Our profession's greatest need is not for more opportunities, but for a focused professional identity. Efforts have begun with documents like the ACC Paradigm and the Palmer Triangle of Care, although the profession struggles with how to translate these models into educational, research and political policy. The WFC international symposium clearly identified a philosophical component in our profession at its conference in Ft. Lauderdale, last year; and. together, we can adopt a framework of consistent philosophical and educational parameters, to know which opportunities to pursue and which to reject. We challenge this profession to adopt a common paradigm of values and practice, one that tells the world clearly what chiropractic stands for. Palmer will gladly participate in that dialogue. Our profession needs to act decisively and soon. Our future is at stake. For questions or more information on this issue, you may contact Lori Leipolcl, Palmer Marketing & Communications Department, at (563) 884-5726 or lei paid [email protected], or check out the Palmer College Web site at Mww.paliner.edu.o Editor's Note: Be sure to read the FCA '.v comments beginning on page 27. And Jill out out Fax Survey on page 5 or now Jill out /inline at: www.amchirooractor.com. In an interview with The Amend a: Chiropractor (TAC), Debra Minor Brown (DMB) answers TAC\ questions concerning the FCA's plans for establishing a chiropractic college at Florida State University (FSU). TAC: Mrs. Brown, please give our readers some introductory background information about yourself. DMB: My service to the chiropractic profession spans 29 years in administration and management for the Florida Chiropractic Association. My educational training is in business and administration, and I was unacquainted with chiropractic, until I was hired by the FCA, in 1972. Immediately, I was impressed by what chiropractic care can do, and by the commitment of the volunteer leaders in the FCA. The FCA was small, then, with about 400 members, and financially and politically weak. But, the board of directors and other key leaders in the FCA were determined to turn that around. These key leaders gave untold hours to doing the work of the FCA. while building an effective administrative and lobbying staff, to further strengthen the association's ability to advance and elevate chiropractic in Florida. I have been extremely fortunate, throughout my career, to have worked with some of the finest leaders in chiropractic. Many went on to serve in leadership roles in the ACA, and several were key in the development of the Council on Chiropractic Education. Florida's chiropractic population has always been very diverse, with graduates from many different chiropractic colleges, and I have been fortunate to work closely with FCA presidents and board members who graduated from virtually every chiropractic college. All have made their unique contributions to the advancement of chiropractic in Florida, through the FCA. Dr. Ed Williams, who was a past president and Legislative Committee Chairman, when I began with the FCA, and remains my primary mentor and dear friend, enjoyed a long and brilliant career as CEO. He continues to stay in touch with every aspect of the FCA, in his semi-retirement. During Dr. Ed's 25-year tenure as CEO. some 70 pieces of pro-chiropractic legislature were passed, and the FCA grew to become the largest state chiropractic association. As the FCA's executive vice president, in those years, I was immersed in every aspect of FCA function; and it has been thrilling, indeed, to be a part of the phenomenal growth of the Florida Chiropractic Association, and to see what can be accomplished through dogged determination and patience. During my four years as CEO. the FCA has continued that winning trend. In 1998,1 was honored to receive an Honorary Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Texas Chiropractic College, a recognition 1 will treasure all of my life, from a profession that has given my life a purpose and a mission. TAC: Tell us about the FCA, and its purpose, direction and goals. DMB: The Florida Chiropractic Association began in 1931. and was established by Florida's chiropractic pioneers, who attained state licensure for the profession. The stated purpose of FCA is the elevation and advancement of the chiropractic profession in Florida, and improved access to chiropractic services for Florida's citizens. With a membership of 4.000, the FCA enjoys the support of 80% of the practicing Florida-resident DCs and several hundred out-of-state doctors, who either hold Florida licenses or attend our conventions for license renewal in their home states. We keep membership dues and convention registration rates among the lowest, while striving to offer the highest quality in services, providing the largest conventions and expositions in chiropractic, an award-winning journal, and the daily support of 12 full-time staff members, experienced general counsel and a lobby team of five. The chiropractic population has grown as doctors have moved here from some other states where the practice environment is less favorable. These doctors tell us that chiropractors in Florida are fortunate to have the laws and authority they enjoy. Our success in creating a good environment for chiropractic stems from the broad membership support FCA enjoys, and the work that is done by its volunteers and paid staff. The FCA has long recognized the right of the individual DC to practice chiropractic within the I law—as he or she chooses and was trained to do in his or her personal education—and embraces chiropractic philosophy and principles as the very basis of chiropractic. The State of Florida is blessed with a visionary team that sees a bright future lor chiropractic and is willing to invest time, energy and resources to advance the profession. Our volunteer board sets good policy, and the staff and commit- j tee structure strive to accomplish what policy directs. The FCA wants nothing less than total parity—even the lead role—for chiropractic within the health care community, and complete and easy access to chiropractic for Floridians. As the FCA has grown in strength and effectiveness, so chiropractic has been elevated in the state of Florida. The FCA has achieved historic firsts in chiropractic, through its legislative victories, in areas like Medicaid funding for chiropractic, chiropractic insurance equality and the granting of $750,000 in state dollars to establish a Research Center in Chiropractic and Biomechan-ics at Florida State University, to name a few. TAC: We know the FCA has heen working, over the years, to help establish the nation's first publicly funded school of chiropractic. Could you fill our readers in on exactly what you have been working toward, the timet'rame, and the current status of the project DMB: The idea of bringing chiropractic education into the public sector has been a long-time aspiration of the FCA. Over the last ten years, we have explored a variety of ideas and options, all with a similar goal: Increasing acceptance of the profession, by insuring that chiropractic education and research activities are elevated to be on a par with those of all other health care professions. It was painfully obvious, to us. that chiropractic was receiving an incredibly disproportionate share of public funds. Over time, we explored a variety of options; however, one quickly began to shine above all others: Creatine a new and separate college of chiropractic at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The benefits were many. The FCA, together with the help of the Lincoln Chiropractic and Educational Research Foundation and the state of Florida, had already funded a super-endowed research chair in 1998 at FSU. through our gift to the University-with matching state dollars-totaling $1.75 million. Today, plans are well along to establish this innovative research center within the university's College of Human Sciences, to study both chiropractic and biomechanics. FSU is clearly emerging as a national leader on this front: and. the visionary leadership at the university is keenly aware of the pressing need for more research, given the explosive growth of complimentary and alternative medicine in the U.S. and across the world. From that point on. the FCA board directed its members and professional lobby team to begin visiting and talking with members and staff of the Florida legislature and other leaders in Florida government, to educate them on the void of public investment in chiropractic education and research. We were especially fortunate to have one of our past presidents, Dennis Jones, D.C., of St. Petersburg, serve at that time in a leadership position in the Florida House, who helped guide the effort. Dennis had served for twenty years in that body and was well regarded by fellow members, leading to his election as Speaker Pro Tempore in 1998. That same year, the Legislature directed both the Florida Board of Regents and the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission to conduct a study of the feasibility and need for a publicly funded chiropractic college in Florida. The final report was very positive, leading legislators to appropriate, during their next session. $1 million for FSU to commission an implementation plan. Over the next six months, national educational consultant MGT of America developed an exhaustive 800-plus-page study and plan. Their efforts included a detailed review of chiropractic literature: site visits to eight chiropractic colleges—including Palmer: surveys of the profession and of public attitudes toward chiropractic; research into the specific needs of Florida: and consultation with chiropractic experts around the country, a culminating with a chiropractic education retreat held in Tallahassee last November. The final MGT work product, alone, represents one of the largest publicly-funded studies of the profession to date. With plan in hand, the FCA and FSU worked, during the subsequent 2001 session, toward another $1.5 million in seed money to begin planning activities. All was proceeding smoothly, until Florida Governor Jeb Bush chose to include $1 million of the total appropriation in his 2001 legislative veto package, which totaled almost $290-million. TAC: Can you tell us more about the veto? We, at TAC, have heard many allegations as to Palmer College's influence in this decision. What do you know to be true of their actions, and influence, in the ultimate outcome? DMB: Tin not in a position to speak for the Governor; however, based on the content of his veto message, it is clear to us that the Governor and his staff were misled on the issue. It was no secret to us that Palmer had hired Florida-based lobbyists at a cost approaching $ I ()().()()(). The fact that they were retained is a matter of public record. (The exact amount is not required to be disclosed; however. Palmer leaders have not denied that figure.) It is also important to note that the Governor had not vetoed previous appropriations, totaling over $1.5 million, prior to Palmer's confusing presence in this issue. We also know that Palmer's lobbyists actively lobbied members of the legislature and staff within the Governor's office, spreading the message that they were prepared to open a college in Florida at absolutely no expense to the state that would have the effect of graduating upwards of 600 DCs a year. By comparison, the proposed school at FSU would be capped at a maximum of 500 students, or only approximately 125 graduates per year. Legislators, the Governor, and his staff were similarly misinformed as to the status of Palmer's "negotiations" with a small Florida east-coast town. Port Orange which was seeking to attract a new college, primarily in the interest of economic development. Legislators and staff were led to believe that it was a "done deal" and that Palmer would be opening its doors soon. We now know how farfetched this claim is. As of several weeks ago, Palmer and the city had yet to reach any kind of a formal, written agreement. True, they continue to negotiate, but recent documents we obtained from the city of Port Orange show that they are still far apart. We also know that there are a number of financial concerns coming to light. Palmer is boasting that they have plans to make no investment in the city, a situation troubling many area citizens. At the same time, our members who are Palmer alumni are telling me that they are being contacted, right now, for $1,000 gifts, as Palmer scrambles to raise money for a SI million insurance bond required by the city. It's very clear to us that the Palmer smoke-and-mirrors illusion gave the Governor the out he needed, as he searched for as many budget cuts as possible, in a very tight-budget year for state government. TAC: But there are varying points of view, as to what the motives behind Palmer's actions were: to protect their own interests in a plan for a Florida branch, or to protect the profession from the type of 'chiro-medicine" that would be taught in a government-funded school. Does the FCA have any opinions about their motives, as well as evidence to support those opinions? DMB: Perhaps Palmer"s leaders are in the best position to explain their motives. We, at the FCA, are at a complete loss to understand how the profession would be harmed by the influx of new public funding for chiropractic research and education. In fact, every day, we continue to receive letters, calls and e-mails questioning why Palmer would do something so detrimental to the profession at large. I, too, have listened to their concerns about "chiro-medicine." but there's absolutely no basis for them. The col- lege at FSU was designed to be a separate entity, not under or related to FSU's new college of medicine. In fact, the MGT plan called on a variety of leading chiropractic educators and researchers across the county, who all agreed it should be a separate, distinct entity. The college would, in no way. be connected with the medical school at FSU. It was stated and planned to be a separate, distinct college, with a chiropractic dean who would answer only to the Provost. Quite frankly. 1 see it as either a fabrication or a diversion on Palmer's part to skirt what is clearly the real issue: If Palmer were ever to succeed in bringing a branch campus to Florida, they surely did not care to compete with a Carnegie Foundation Doctoral/Research University that would attract the best of the best in chiropractic educators, draw down millions in federal research dollars, all. while offering the brightest students a chiropractic education, at roughly half the cost of Palmer's tuition and fees. In fact, one news article in the local Dayiona News-Journal clearly quoted both Port Orange and Palmer officials as being thrilled that the FSU school funding was vetoed, citing that it would be prime competition for the Palmer-Port Orange facility. Palmer's real motivation appears to be dollars and cents. Better yet. if Palmer could eliminate the FSU school, maybe they could also be persuasive in a debate to have the state help finance their expansion effort. We have documents that clearly show that, early on. Palmer actually advocated a partnership between themselves and FSU. something that the independent consultants agreed was not a good idea. You see. Palmer's idea of a partnership was that Palmer be in complete control of all facets of the program—faculty curriculum, facilities, etc.—whereas FSU would have a singular responsibility: to provide the funding. All of us al the FCA can certainly understand FSU's reluctance to partner in such a lop-sided fashion. TAC: Do you believe there is a way that the FCA could legislate for this government-funded school that would accommodate for the concerns expressed by Palmer to protect the philosophy of chiropractic that would be in this school? DMB: The first consideration each of us involved with this debate must remember is that the decision to establish a public chiropractic college is. fundamentally, a policy issue to be decided by Florida's lawmakers. Even if the FCA wholeheartedly agreed to accommodate whatever concerns Palmer might have about the philosophical component of the proposed college's curriculum, the FCA is only one interest group involved in this process. It is not our place or responsibility to address the concerns made by another interested party. That being said, it is the FCA"s position, as an advocacy body comprised of members representative of each school of thought dedicated to chiropractic, that we do not believe Palmer has a monopoly on chiropractic philosophy. They have a strong voice, and the FCA respects and values their opinion—but. theirs is only one opinion. In fact. Palmer has stood alone among all chiropractic colleges in its opposition to the chiropractic college at Florida State University. This project enjoyed widespread support from many other chiropractic colleges. Furthermore, the FCA is disappointed with some of the misinformation Palmer has been disseminating that questions the integrity of the college's mission. Palmer has also attempted to convince the profession at large that philosophy would, in some way. be omitted from the chiropractic college at FSU. We find this to be out-and-out deception. They know full well, per the published implementing plan, that the curriculum would contain chiropractic philosophy, the same as is taught at Palmer or any other accredited chiropractic college. In the exact words of the FSU-commissioned Implementing Plan: The chiropractic profession and its education programs have a philosophical base and practice methods that are distinctive from other health professions. All existing chiropractic colleges in the U.S. are headed by a dean or president. For FSU to recruit a nationally recognized leader jor its premier program of chiropractic education and in recognition of the profession s distincliveness from other health care professions, the program needs to be an organizational unit separate : from anx other college or school and hare its own dean. CCE delcniiines the chiropractic curriculum standards—not Palmer or : FSU. Philosophy is the required foundation in chiropractic—universally ' applied per CCE standards. Per the executive summary in the FSU implementing plan: A chiropractic program at a major university such as FSU can both preserve the unique contributions of chiropractic health care principles and the culture of higher education and research, to better serve the needs of graduate chiropractors and their patients. In other words, this issue Palmer has raised is really a non-issue. Palmer simply used it as a scare tactic. If Palmer is upset that a public chiropractic college would be held accountable to the rigorous standards that come along with being part of a national research university, then I must say that the FCA cannot accommodate Palmer on this matter. TAC: Where does the FCA plan on going from here, in terms of the plans for the school? DMB: The FCA is dedicated to establishing a public chiropractic college at Florida State University. The merits of this endeavor are so overwhelming that we cannot help but give our full enthusiasm to seeing this effort brought to fruition. Just as excited are FSU's leadership and legislative supporters, who are committed to housing a public college on their campus. It is just such an exciting time to be involved with higher education in Florida. The state is undergoing a tremendous reorganization effort that will transform each college and university. Each school is aggressively pursuing additional programs, such as chiropractic education and other complimentary and alternative medicines. Several of the other state universities are very interested in exploring programs similar to what is planned at FSU. That's why we arc confident Florida will be the home to the nation's first public chiropractic college. TAC: Is there any lesson that the profession can glean from your experience to avoid such an occurrence in the future? DMB: Certainly, all of us involved with this effort have learned a great deal about the public policy arena that will be very valuable in future debates. Certainly, it is always easier—politically speaking—to oppose, destroy or tear down, than to accomplish a positive, progressive step. This is a fact of life we deal with every day in the lobbying arena. Unfortunately, as it relates to the interchanges with Palmer, the only lesson the profession could glean from this experience is the age-old lesson of how chiropractic can be its own worst enemy. I had hoped the profession had advanced from the type of fratricide (such as Palmer's hiring lobbyists to undermine our work) we've witnessed in this issue. As I make that statement, I echo what I have heard from so many Palmer alumni in Florida. They are completely disillusioned, as I am, with this turn of events. So many past and present FCA leaders and hundreds of FCA members are Palmer graduates, and their letters and comments stress repeatedly that they simply can't believe the collective good of the profession—an advancement for chiropractic so profound—has been completely disregarded, in favor of what is best for Palmer. Those who would go to any lengths to force their beliefs on others are dangerous. Chiropractic history, over and over, has proven that. For more information, contact the Florida Chiropractic Association at 217 N. Kirkman Road, Suite I, Orlando. FL 32811, or via the FCA web site at: www.tcachiro.ori>. Editor's note: TAC wants to share vour thoughts on this important topic, so be sure to till out our Fax Back Survey on page 5 of this issue or online at: www. amchiropractor.com. You can be a part of the solution and send us your thoughts NOW!
