March
2003
Palmer board names Dr. Guy
Riekeman next chancellor
Guy
F. Riekeman, D.C., has been named the next chancellor of the Palmer
Chiropractic University System, succeeding Chancellor Michael E. Crawford
as of
July 1, 2003
. The announcement was made by
Vickie A. Palmer, chairman of the Palmer Board of Trustees.
Palmer
said the Trustees were unanimous in their selection of Dr. Riekeman to
lead the University System as chancellor. "President Riekeman is
superbly qualified to take all entities of Palmer Chiropractic to a
successful future. He will be a capable steward of a legacy that began in
1895," Palmer said. "I am thrilled at how far we have come
during the tenure of Chancellor Crawford, and I am equally excited about
our potential under the leadership of Dr. Riekeman."
Chancellor
Crawford, who last October announced his plans to retire at the end of
this fiscal year, commented: "Dr. Riekeman is absolutely the best
person to lead the Palmer Chiropractic University System and the entire
chiropractic profession. I have great respect for him as an individual, as
an administrator and as an inspiring leader. Nobody is better prepared for
this challenge, and this is the right time for him to undertake it. He has
a very strong sense of what it will require to bring this profession
together and a clear view of what chiropractic must become to fulfill its
rightful role in the health care delivery system."
Riekeman
said his appointment "means that the Board's vision for the
University System will continue unchanged. Chancellor Crawford and I have
worked closely together so that we are absolutely of one mind with regard
to the Palmer Chiropractic vision. He has been the key instrument in the
development of the University System, and it is my responsibility and that
of the entire administrative team to carry that work to completion."
All entities and key administrative personnel already report to Riekeman,
and he said the transition into his chancellorship "can be expected
to continue in a predictable and orderly fashion."
"The
process in which I have been gradually entrusted with added
responsibilities has given me a wonderful opportunity to get to know and
help shape a team of capable administrators. Obviously, no one person can
provide total leadership and management of all the diverse Palmer entities
and their initiatives. However, the University System has already
developed and will continue to refine an organizational structure that can
ably support the Board's focused vision," Riekeman said.
