Catching up with Dr. Riekeman by phone during his busy schedule as the new President of Life University wasn't easy. After weeks of pursuit by phone and email, we finally got Dr. Riekeman on the phone while he was in an airport hotel outside Chicago. Since his resignation from Palmer on Feb. 5, and subsequent move to Life, an interview was probably the least of his concerns, so we were very glad to finally get a moment of his time. Right away, Dr. Riekeman made it clear that his primary focus at this time is Life University, so he didn't want to do a "tit for tat" commentary on all of the events and subsequent statements about the events.. .whether accurate or not. What's done is done and he's looking forward to a bright future at Life. In response to our questions of whether he thought his resignation was in any way related to some underlying "conspiracy" by the CCE or any other entities, he answered with a resounding, "No". He does think, however, that there are some misconceptions surrounding the student groups that rallied to meet with and keep him on at Palmer. Some of the reports make it sound as if he were deceitfully uniting the students behind the Board's back, when, in reality, Riekeman was simply waiting for one month—as he'd promised the students who were fighting passionately to get the Board to reverse its decision to accept Riekeman's resignation—before accepting any other positions. And the fact that Palmer actually had had him barred from the campus was pretty dramatic, lending fuel to the fire! As to his resignation, itself, Dr. Riekeman says that he "had to resign out of integrity." The resolutions that the Palmer board passed which precipitated his resignation, in his words, "violated normal governance relations between Boards and the Chief Executive Officer." In addressing concerns about whether "principled" chiropractic is in jeopardy of extinction, Dr. Riekeman states that Palmer's recent actions and appointments give rise to concerns from alumni and students as well. "Many in the profession are watching closely," he adds. He continues, "The real battle for alumni and students now has shifted to whether a small group of people, such as the Palmer Board of Trustees, should have the power to take such drastic measures affecting the school, while being completely unresponsive to the students and alumni supporting the institution." Dr. Riekeman also emphasizes that it is important for the average chiropractor to be aware of what is happening in the schools, and in the profession for that matter, because it does affect how others see chiropractic around the world. On a final note, Dr. Riekeman wishes Palmer well. And, he's excited about rebuilding Life University! Bringing things up-to-date on that front, since Dr. Riekeman's brief time at Life, he's been able to raise over $2 million dollars in two weeks' time. Included in that amount were two substantial donations, one from Dr. Bill Harris of around 1.25 million dollars, and another from Dr. Larry Markson and The Master's Circle of $150,000, as well as at least six other dona- CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE ► ► FROM PAGE 9 Dr. Guy Riekeman, Former Palmer Chancellor and Current President of Life University, Statement tions, of $100,000 each, so things are looking good. And, he says, the student enrollment at Life, which was around 30-40 prior to his assuming the presidency, has already shot up to 80-100 for the spring quarter, with over 200 applications on file for the fall. ■ Guy Riekeman,Current President of Life University Life-Georgia Etrance
