CCE rejects Coalition suggestion not to appeal Life decision

The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) has rejected a suggestion from the Chiropractic Coalition that it forego appealing the court decision which reinstated the accreditation status of Life University. The Coalition, representing the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), International Chiropractors Association (ICA) and Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO), had contacted the accrediting agency.

In its letter, the Coalition noted that, "In recent months, the chiropractic profession has witnessed an unprecedented internal struggle resulting over the Council on Chiropractic Education's failure to renew accreditation for Life University."

It added, "In light of the Judge's ruling, as well as the overwhelming evidence of harm done to Life University and the profession as a whole, the Chiropractic Coalition strongly urges the CCE NOT to appeal this court decision. Such action will foment continued unrest in the profession, further harm students and faculty at Life, and inflict additional damage to an already seriously wounded academic process. As suggested by Judge Charles E. Moye, Jr., we ask the CCE to seek to work with Life officials to resolve this accreditation crisis."

The letter was signed by D.D. Humber, D.C., President, ICA; Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., President, WCA, and Gary Horwin, D.C., President, FSCO.

Paul D. Walker, Ph.D., president of the CCE, wrote to the Coalition on behalf of the agency's Executive Committee, and stated, "Rather than being an isolated activity that can be addressed and decided solely in and of itself as a singular event, the 'appeal' of a court decision to which you refer, and which you suggest be foregone, is but one important activity in a series of events germane to the accreditation work of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE)."

After outlining the steps already taken in the process, Dr. Walker noted that, "this would appear to be a situation where, on balance, the accrediting body should, in the minimum, have opportunity to secure redress for what it considers a wrongful decision at this point in the ongoing series of events. Taken thus in the context of the whole, does it not seem reasonable and proper that CCE should exercise the same rights and opportunities as an entity that has chosen to challenge the CCE position?"

Dr. Rondberg expressed concern over the CCE's position. "No one is claiming the CCE doesn't have the right to file its appeal. The WCA, the Coalition, and many doctors of chiropractic are merely saying it is not in the best interest of chiropractic to do so. Regardless of how one assesses Life's academic standards, it is clear that the CCE action has created extreme difficulty for numerous students. Worse still, in the eyes of the court there is ample evidence that the CCE decision was tainted by internal politics and economic considerations. It appears, however, that the CCE is looking at this as a power struggle and refusing to bend. Unfortunately, the profession will suffer from their rigidity."