Things seemed to be going better than ever at Palmer! Since October 1998, when Dr. Guy Riekeman was named President of Palmer, the school had been gradually gaining strength and renewed support... J J he annual homecoming event, re-titled "Lyceum " by Dr. Riekeman, was bigger and better than ever last year, making a healthy profit, gaining profession-wide appeal rather than, s previously, "alumni only". Things were going so well that, as recently as July 2003, Riekeman was named Chancellor of all 3 Palmer schools: Iowa, California, and Florida. There s no doubt that Dr. Riekeman s presence at Palmer over the past 5 years has done much good for the school as well as the profession. So what happened? Whenever any relationship comes to an end, there are always different perceptions of what happened and, in this case, there's been a great deal of speculation, including suggestions of a "conspiracy" to undermine Riekeman s direction of leading Palmer College too Jar down the "principled" path or, possibly even, his actions posing a threat to Palmer s CCE accreditation due to a lawsuit he 'd led against the CCE. To help clear up some of these and other questions, we 've contacted both Vickie Palmer, to give us the Palmer perspective, and, of course, Dr. Guy Riekeman, to share with us his perspective. We 've even received a statement from Dr. Craig Little of the CCE, which addresses the "conspiracy theories " floating about. Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself? A: Like our father before us, my sisters and I basically grew up at Palmer College. My commitment to and love for Palmer College has been solidified by my years of service starting back when my father used to have me help with various activities at the College, including homecoming, special events and alumni functions. I have always fell a part of the College and held many jobs at Palmer, including cafeteria worker, elevator operator. Little Bit O' Heaven tour guide, assistant librarian and assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs. More recently, of course, I have had the opportunity to serve Palmer as chairman of the Board of Trustees. In my role, however, I have always attempted to emphasize the College rather than my family connections. It is important that Palmer College stand as a symbol of the heritage of chiropractic, as well as provide the best education possible for new chiropractors and those who are currently practicing. Q: There's been much speculation about the events that precipitated Chancellor Guy Riekeman's resignation from Palmer. Can you please tell us exactly what happened that led to his departure? A: Dr. Riekeman's resignation has certainly generated questions centering on the question of why. It is important to say, at the outset, that these fundamental issues are in certain respects as complex as the issues facing the chiropractic profession itself. These issues include subjective matters like interpretation of chiropractic philosophy, differing priorities reflected in management decisions and personal preference about leadership styles. The rumors and e-mails circulating throughout the profession look past such nuances in favor of unfounded speculation. That being said, there were certain issues that led to the eventual resignation of Dr. Riekeman. Because of the lack of communication between the administration and the Board of Trustees, the Board found it necessary to pass resolutions to improve the flow of information and ensure accountability. When Dr. Riekeman demanded that most of those resolutions be rescinded, and the Board did not rescind them. Dr. Riekeman resigned. The Board had no choice but to accept his resignation. Now that several weeks have passed, it is appropriate to discuss the more fundamental issues that led to the conflict and put to rest some of the rumors circulating throughout the profession. For example, the rumors claiming that Dr. Riekeman was forced out strictly based on philosophical differences are simply wrong. Palmer has remained consistently true over the years to The Palmer Tenets and will continue to do so. CONTINUES ON PAGE 10 ► ► FROM PAGE 8 Interview with Vickie A. Palmer, Chairman of the Palmer Chiropractic University System Board of Trustees What is true is that Palmer—as an institution—must remain more important than any one individual, and that the institution must always preserve its philosophy and protect its Tenets. Prior to receiving Dr. Riekeman's resignation, the Board worked diligently to improve communication and to improve the team operations, because the Board felt the bonds of teamwork needed to be strengthened. Philosophical differences and the Chancellor's leadership style were not as much the issue per se as was the Board's discomfort about the working relationship between the administration and the Board of Trustees. What the Board has always desired and worked for is institutional wholeness, not fragmentation. Q: Some are suggesting that any dissatisfaction the Palmer Board may have had with Dr. Riekeman was due to the lawsuit he pursued against the CCE and that, out of fear of the CCE, Palmer removed him before the CCE did to Palmer what it did to Life. What is your reaction to these comments? A: I would say that these suggestions fall under the category of unfounded suspicion. The reasons for Dr. Riekeman's resignation are outlined above. Q: What are the College's plans to combat the loss of confidence and support due to Dr. Riekeman's resignation? A: First of all, 1 would like to say that any "loss of confidence and support" due to recent events has been exaggerated. Of course, there are certain individuals, including a group of students, who are upset about the change in leadership. All of us on the Board recognize that this is an emotional issue and it will take time for concerns to be resolved. In the meantime, we are moving forward with the business of providing students with the best education in the chiropractic profession. As for suggestions that there has been a significant loss of confidence and support for Palmer because of recent events, I would point out the following: There is overwhelming support for the Board of Trustees' recent actions among the Palmer College faculty. According to our Department of Admissions, Palmer College has not lost any prospective students because of the leadership change. Our registrar reports that 12 stu dents, thus far, have taken steps to withdraw or transfer from Palmer College due to recent events. While certain high-profile indi viduals have withdrawn their sup port of Palmer's current $35 mil lion Capital Campaign, other indi viduals have joined the campaign in the past several weeks. Q: Do you think there's a threat to "principled" chiropractic institutions becoming extinct? A: No, I do not believe there is a threat to so-called "principled" chiropractic institutions, nor do 1 believe that recent events at Palmer are symptomatic of any perceived threat. Palmer College, since its founding by D. D. Palmer, has been focused on providing students with a balanced education in the science, art and philosophy of chiropractic. Palmer insists on this balance because it is the essence of The Palmer Tenets and The Palmer Educational Principles. Providing this balanced, mainstream education is also the current and future driving force of the Palmer administration and Board of Trustees. Q: How has the leadership change affected Palmer? A: Of course, there have been short-term effects on the Palmer community. Some students, especially, have been distracted from their studies by gatherings of support for Dr. Riekeman and other activities. In the long term, however, 1 am confident that the leadership transition will be beneficial for the Palmer Chiropractic University System. We have experienced leaders in place at Palmer West and Palmer College. Both Dr. Donald Kern at Palmer College and Dr. Peter Martin at Palmer West have served as president before at their respective institutions. The beauty of having these experienced leaders in place is that it allows the Board to take the time it needs to consider what is best for the Palmer Chiropractic University System in terms of administrative structure. It is important to note that nothing has changed in terms of Palmer's philosophy and mission, and I do not expect dramatic changes in the future. Q: What does the future hold for the Palmer Chiropractic University System? A: We are moving forward with the business of educating the best chiropractors in the world. For example, we are making progress on the accreditation front with the recent NCA accreditation of Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida as a branch campus of Palmer College, and are moving toward eventual accreditation by the CCE of our Palmer Florida campus. Change is difficult, but all of us at Palmer, including the Board, administration, faculty and staff, are moving forward with enthusiasm in order to make Palmer's bright future a reality. It is up to all of us, including our student body and alumni, to move forward from here to ensure continued success for our institution and to create healthier lives for chiropractic patients served by our graduates worldwide. CONTINUES ON PAGE 34 ► ► FROM PAGE 11 Interview with Vickie A. Palmer, Chairman of the Palmer Chiropractic University System Board of Trustees Q: Why should alumni continue to provide financial support and student referrals to Palmer? A: The bottom line is that Palmer has always relied on its alumni and friends to provide financial support and student referrals, which ultimately strengthens its educational programs. Recent reports about lack of support, pulling of Capital Campaign pledges and drying up student referrals have been exaggerated. We are confident Palmer is fully stable in all those areas, as evidenced by the fact that, thus far, 12 students have made plans to withdraw from the College, but no prospective students have withdrawn their applications from Palmer. In addition, we are gratified by faculty, alumni and other support in recent weeks, which may in the long-term balance out any detrimental effects of the leadership change. Q: How is the Board demonstrating its commitment to Palmer's educational mission? A: The Board of Trustees views its role as continuing to provide overall mission and financial guidance to the Palmer Chiropractic University System. We are proceeding with our audit, and hope that the information it provides will help guide our decisions in the near future. We are completely confident in the ability of Drs. Kern and Martin to lead the Palmer colleges, along with their competent, experienced administrators, faculty and staff. All of us on the Board are in wholehearted support of the continuation of Palmer's philosophical and educational mission, based on The Palmer Tenets and The Palmer Educational Principles. ■ Editor's Note: TAC wants to share your thoughts on this important topic, so be sure to write us at jaclyn@amchiropractor>cortL The American Chiropractor's purpose in doing this feature was to address the speculation and controversy suggested and spread by rumors via email, word of mouth, and various other forms of communication over the past couple months. TAC would like to thank Vickie Palmer, Dr. Guy Riekeman, and Dr. Craig Little for their cooperation in clarifying this information for us and our readers. Be sure to read Dr. Riekeman's interview on page 9 and Dr. Little's response on page 11. \ Palmer Board of Trustees Statement Regarding Dr. Guy Riekeman's Position as President of Life University March 4,2004 We understand that the Board of Life University has extended the presidency of that university to Dr. Guy Riekeman and that he has accepted. Life University is a fellow institution in chiropractic education and Dr. Riekeman is a graduate of Palmer, a former employee and now a colleague. We wish him and Life University the very best and anticipate that we will be able to work together to assure the positive ad vancement of chiropractic as a primary health care provider. ■ Vickie A. Palmer Chairman of the Palmer Chiropractic University System Board of Trustees
