CELEBRATING
LIFE UNIVERSITY’S HISTORICAL LEGACY

The Birth of Chiropractic

David Daniel Palmer of Iowa performs the first chiropractic adjustment on partially deaf Harvey Lillard, improving his ability to hear. D.D. Palmer opens the first school of Chiropractic two years later.

Chiropractors Jailed Nationwide

D.D. Palmer, along with many other chiropractors, including his son B.J. Palmer, are jailed for practicing medicine without a license. Chiropractors continue to be arrested and jailed throughout the first half of the 1900s for practicing their craft. Legal defenses point to chiropractic’s unique philosophy of “supremacy of the nerve” which differentiates chiropractic from other practices of the time. By 1922, one-by-one, states begin passing legislation officially licensing chiropractors, beginning to put an end to the madness.

Death of B.J. Palmer

Dr. B.J. Palmer dies, and with his death, many in the chiropractic profession began to lose their way and seek mainstream acceptance rather than stick to the principled foundation on which the profession was built. 

Dynamic Essentials

Dr. Sid Williams forms Dynamic Essentials (D.E.), a regular seminar series dedicated to fortifying the profession and motivating chiropractors to return to practicing Chiropractic as it was originally intended by its forefathers Drs. D.D. and B.J. Palmer.

The Life Foundation

Drs. Sid and Nell Williams (wife) spearhead the forming of the Life Foundation, which had education in their mission statement.

Creating a Vitalistic Movement

The idea for Life College of Chiropractic (LCC) takes root in Ormond Beach, Florida. A dozen or so D.E. chiropractors and their families vacationed there in the early 1970s, becoming close friends in addition to colleagues. And as they played with their children on the beach during the day and walked on the sand late into the night, they talked about how to create a vitalistic movement that might change the world of health care and even the world at large.

Life Chiropractic College is Born

Life Chiropractic College (LCC) was born in 1974 and began its first class, taught by Dr. Gerry Clum, in 1975 with a ribbon-cutting, the first of many, on January 20, 1975.

Dr. Sid Williams Named President

Founder Sidney E. Williams, D.C., becomes president of Life Chiropractic College. He serves from 1974-2002.

Classes Begin

Initially, 25 students started, though three left after the first week. But more students came, and within two years of its founding, Life Chiropractic College had received Correspondent Status with the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), established the Chiropractic Technicians’ Program and had an enrollment of 325 students.

First Chiropractic Degrees Awarded

The first Life Chiropractic College graduating class of 35 doctors were awarded their Doctor of Chiropractic degrees in December 1977.

Life Chiropractic College Begins Its Rugby Program

Dr. Sid Williams has the vision and insight to establish the LCC Men’s Rugby Program. He was inspired by Dr. D.D. Palmer’s concept of using the sport of rugby for spreading the chiropractic message and attracting more students domestically and internationally.

Life Chiropractic College West Opens

Life Chiropractic College facilitates the opening of Life Chiropractic College West in San Lorenzo, California. Life’s then-admissions director, Dr. Gerard Clum, was appointed president of this new institution.

Dr. Sid Williams Elected President of the ICA

Life Chiropractic College Founder Dr. Sid Williams is elected as president of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), where he’ll serve from 1982-1985.

Life Chiropractic College Becomes the Largest Chiropractic College in the World

Life Enrollment grows to more than 1,800 students, making LCC the largest chiropractic college in the world.

Life Chiropractic College Becomes Fully Accredited

LCC receives full accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).

Club Rugby Plays at Senior Level

Life Chiropractic College’s Club Rugby team begins playing at Senior Level and goes on to defeat the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Graduate School National Championship finals at Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Undergraduate Offerings Added

Life Chiropractic College began expanding its academic offerings to include a pre-chiropractic program offering all prerequisites for the D.C. degree. A Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and a Bachelor of Business Administration were added. With a true School of Undergraduate Studies, LCC was renamed Life College, Inc.

Atlanta Hosts Summer Olympics

Throughout its history, sports have played an important role at Life. Athletes often seek chiropractic care as a means of achieving peak performance, and during the mid-1990s, many turned to Life Chiropractic College to find the winning edge.

Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, thousands of international athletes came to LCC to train and receive chiropractic care. Coaches and athletes alike were attracted to our Dynamic Essentials for Lasting Peak Performance (DELPP) program, which combined the philosophy of Chiropractic with high-level physical training and mental discipline.

Life U’s Men’s Basketball team wins its first NAIA National Championship. Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its first NAIA National Championship in what begins a four-year dynastic streak. Life U Men’s Indoor Track & Field also won its first NAIA National Championship.

Life College, Inc. Becomes Life University

With the establishment of a master’s degree program in Sport Health Science, Life College begins offering academic programs with degrees at every academic level. The institution was renamed once again, becoming Life University, Inc. (Life U).

Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its second NAIA National Championship.

Life U’s Men’s Basketball team wins its second NAIA National Championship. Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its third NAIA National Championship.

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Bell Tower Erected

Life U’s iconic 46-foot-tall Bell Tower was installed, as well as the bronze statue of Dr. Sid Williams’ hands performing a Toggle adjustment in front of the Bell Tower. Inside the base of the tower is a memorial to persecuted chiropractors, with the names of several hundred engraved on its inner walls. The names are a list of every chiropractor who was ever imprisoned in the U.S. for practicing his or her craft. The sheltered chamber, a deliberately claustrophobic memorial, is the size of a typical jail cell. A bronze plaque inside the chamber offers special praise for Herbert Ross Reaver, “the most jailed chiropractor in the world,” who was arrested 13 times for practicing in Ohio.

Life U Men’s Basketball team marks a dynasty with its third NAIA National Championship within four seasons. Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its fourth NAIA National Championship. Life U Men’s Indoor Track & Field wins its second NAIA National Championship. Life U Women’s Outdoor Track & Field wins its first NAIA National Championship. Life U Men’s Club Rugby wins USA Rugby Super League Championship.

Life U Women’s Outdoor Track & Field wins its second NAIA National Championship, going back-to-back.

Dr. Michael Schmidt Installed as Interim President

Michael Schmidt is installed as Life University’s second president on an interim basis in July 2002.

Dr. Benjamin DeSpain Named President

Benjamin DeSpain, Ph.D. is named the third president of Life University. He serves from 2003-2004.

Dr. Guy F. Riekeman Named President

Guy Riekeman, D.C. is named fourth president of Life University, beginning a 13-year tenure of extreme growth for the University in enrollment, prestige and expansion. Within months of his appointment, he and Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Chuck Ribley raise millions of dollars for capital expenditures and operating costs.

2020 Strategic Plan is Established

Life University establishes the 2020 Strategic Plan to include its Vision, Values, Mission, Eight Core Proficiencies, Strategic Initiatives and the Wellness Portfolio. The Strategic Planning Document is published with four phases: Life Promise, Rebranding, Website and Capital Campaign.

Center for Health and Optimum Performance Opens

Life U renovates and opens the Center for Health & Optimum Performance (C-HOP) at 1415 Barclay Circle.

Opening of the Campus Center for Health and Optimum Performance

Life U renovates and opens the Campus Center for Health & Optimum Performance (CC-HOP).

Life U Men’s Club Rugby wins Division 1 National Championship.

Life University Hailed as the World’s Largest Single-Campus Chiropractic College

Life University once again houses the largest single campus chiropractic college in the world, a distinction it holds to this day.

William M. Harris Celebration of Life

Life U holds Celebration of Life for Dr. William M. Harris, the University’s largest benefactor.

William M. Harris Memorial Erected on Campus

LIFEforce 1000 is Established

Life U establishes LIFEforce 1000 (now LIFEforce), a group of Life U Alumni & Friends who are committed to sending students to Life U and help them spread vitalistic Chiropractic and Lasting Purpose around the world.

Life’s Village Retreat Opens

Life University completes and opens state-of-the-art, upper-level student housing called Life’s Village Retreat (LVR), also known as simply “The Village.” The LVR is a four-story student housing facility containing 300 beds in primarily two bedroom, roommate-styled suites. The LVR is Gold-Level certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the authority in sustainable and “green” construction.

Completion of Socrates Café, Demonstration Kitchens and Bookstore

Life U completes and opens campus dining facility Socrates Café, as well as the Nutrition Department with Teaching and Demonstration Kitchens and a new Bookstore in the Center for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies building (now the Life U Shop).

Construction of Lyceum Park

Life U completes the construction of Lyceum Park, complete with the Wellness Lifestyle Patio, Standard Process Amphitheater, Soap Box, Eight Core Proficiencies Fountain, Vitalism Fountain and Reflection Pools.

Founders Honored

Life U honors its founders with a dedication and unveiling of the Drs. Sid E. Williams & D.D. & B.J. Palmer Monuments in Celebration Plaza; a dedication of the Drs. Sid E. & Nell K. Williams Library; a dedication of the Dr. Sid E. Williams Center for Chiropractic Research (CCR); and a memorialization through the establishment of the Path of Heroes.

Men’s Varsity Rugby wins its first 7s National Championship.

Life University Functional Neurology Center Opens

Implements the Functional Neurology Center on campus at 1415 Barclay Circle, which later becomes the NeuroLIFE Institute (NLI) in 2017.

Life University Hosts First Annual IHPC Conference

Life University Hosts 1st annual IHPC Conference (holds conferences for the next 10 years with exception of 2020 & 2021 (COVID).

Dr. Sid E. Williams Celebration of Life

Hosted Dr. Sid E. Williams Celebration of Life event, culminating in the dedication of the Eternal Flame structure added behind the Life U Bell Tower.

Life University Receives Automatic Invite to National CRC

Life U is invited back to the nationally televised 2013 CRC in Philadelphia due to the amazing support of our fanbase. Life University holds a multitude of events for students, alumni and fans in attendance.

Life University’s Men’s Varsity Rugby team wins its first USA Rugby National Collegiate Men’s Rugby Championship. Life U Men’s Club Rugby wins second Division 1 National Championship.

Life University Establishes the Center for Compassion, Integrity and Secular Ethics.

Life U Men’s Club Rugby wins third Division 1 National Championship.

Virtual Anatomy Lab is Created

Life University’s Virtual Anatomy Lab was created, allowing students to study anatomy on state-of-the-art digital Anatomage Tables, rather than cadavers. Life U’s Virtual Anatomy Lab features more Anatomage tables than any other higher education institution in the world (8). Additionally, unlike cadaver dissection, the University’s Anatomage tables provide students with life-sized, multi-layered 3D technology as well as the ability to view CT scans, giving them a detailed understanding of a body’s systems and how they are interconnected.

Students can label, highlight and capture detailed images to study at another time on their computer or tablet. And several research studies have shown that studying anatomy and physiology on Anatomage Tables leads students to be more engaged and perform better academically compared to cadaver dissection.

Alumnus Dr. Joe Lupo Leads Effort to Renovate the Lower Athletic Field

Life U renovates lower athletic field with brand new turf, scoreboard, fencing, seating and media and coach’s boxes. The field is named Lupo Family Field, dedicated in honor of lead campaign supporter Dr. Joe Lupo (’78), his wife Sandy and children Jeff and Jesse.

Life University Launches the Chillon Project

Life University launches the Chillon Project, a degree-granting program for incarcerated students and correctional staff in the Georgia prison system – the only program of its kind offered by a college or university based in the state of Georgia since 1994.

Life U Men’s Varsity Rugby team wins its second USA Rugby National Collegiate Men’s Rugby Championship.

The Rubicon Group Holds First Conference in London

Life U Establishes The Rubicon Group, a consortium of chiropractic educational institutions with the vision for universal access to chiropractic care for improved performance, the enrichment of life potential, greater health and well-being.

Lasting Purpose Fountain is Renovated

Life U renovates Lasting Purpose Fountain in Lasting Purpose Plaza between the Learning Resource Center (LRC) and the Center for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (CGUS).

Life University Takes its Message Worldwide

Life U buys 30 seconds of ad space on NBC’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, seizing the opportunity to broadcast our message of Vitalism and Chiropractic to millions worldwide.

Dr. Rob Scott Named President

Rob Scott, D.C., Ph.D., is named the fifth president of Life University, beginning a tenure that has seen perseverance through a worldwide pandemic and continued elevation of Life U as the world’s foremost vitalistic healthcare institution in the world. Continued production of world-class healthcare practitioners, academic success, technological innovations, research, and diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of Dr. Scott’s initiatives since his appointment as president of Life U. With Dr. Scott’s appointment to president, Dr. Guy Riekeman was appointed as Life U’s Chancellor.

Administration Building Renovated into the William M. Harris Center for Clinical Education

The 2017 Spring Quarter brought about the highly anticipated renovation of the oldest building on the Life U campus, transforming what was formerly known as the Administration Building to what is now the William M. Harris Center for Clinical Education. This new facility is a teaching and skill-development chiropractic center that physically incorporates the existing Campus Center for Health and Optimum Performance (CC-HOP), Funded by Foot Levelers, on campus and provides expanded facilities for improved learning. The Harris Center contains a 23-room Assessment Center, a computer Mastery Testing Center, and Diagnostic Imaging and Alignment area.

Generations Wall Honors Families Dedicated to Chiropractic

Life U erects the Generations Wall, made possible by the generous donations of Dr. Amie Bend and Rich Giuli, which recognizes past and present families dedicated to Chiropractic and is the beacon that inspires other families to follow. The Wall, complete with a beautiful water feature, contains nameplates of chiropractic families that are both Life U alumni and friends.

Men’s Club Rugby wins Division 2 National Championship.

Life U Expands its Reach as Vitalistic Visionaries

With a growing student body and expanded list of degree offerings, Life University programs and initiatives extend worldwide, commanding an increased global presence in the fields of health care and wellness leadership. 

New Residential Facility Opens

Life U opens a new student housing facility, The New Commons (now The Commons), for its 2018 Fall Quarter class. The Commons accommodates 362 students and comes complete with study rooms, a two-story slide and the Commons Dining Hall campus eatery, which seats 200 diners and is an “all-you-can-eat,” buffet-style eatery.

Life U Men’s Varsity Rugby team wins its third USA Rugby National Collegiate Men’s Rugby Championship.

Board of Trustees Updates Mission

Life University’s Board of Trustees updates the University’s Mission, Values and Vision.

Collective Formed to Fight Opioid Crisis

Life University, along with the International Health Policy Consortium (IHPC), Georgia Chiropractic Association (GCA), Georgia Council of Chiropractic (GCC) and the William M. Harris Family Foundation, come together in an effort to fight Georgia’s opioid epidemic with Relief Without Addiction – Opioid Crisis Initiative.

Establishment of the College of Online Education

The University establishes the Life University College of Online Education (COE).

Life U Men’s Varsity Rugby team wins its fourth USA Rugby National Collegiate Men’s Rugby Championship. Life U Men’s Club Rugby wins fourth Division 1 National Championship.

Development of the 2040 Strategic Plan

Leadership adopts a comprehensive strategic plan for the future, constructed with Life University’s mission, vision and values in mind. It is a multi-year, multi-phase split into the following four phases: Phase 1 – Aligning for the Future (2020-2023); Phase II – Bridging to the Future (2024-2025); Phase III – Building the Future (2026-2030); and Phase IV – Manifesting the Future (2031-2040).

CCR Develops PAT

Life University’s Dr. Sid E. Williams Center for Chiropractic Research (CCR) Develops Palpation and Adjustment Trainer (PAT). The most advanced palpation and adjusting technology in Chiropractic, PAT is an anatomically accurate, technology-based mannequin with the look, feel, size and weight of an average person. The mannequin features a 3D-printed or molded spine, pelvis and occiput surrounded by viscoelastic skin and soft tissue, simulating the actual experience of adjusting a human patient.

PAT contains 64 embedded pressure sensors at key spinal landmarks from the skull (EOP) to the pelvis and sacrum, helping students learn how to locate vertebral landmarks by palpation, find restricted motion and perform adjustments with controlled amounts of force and speed, along a specific vector.

Dedication of the Guy F. Riekeman, D.C. Center for Chiropractic Education

The Guy F. Riekeman, D.C. Center for Chiropractic Education (RCCE) was dedicated in the honor of Life U’s fourth president and first chancellor, Dr. Guy Riekeman.

Life U Men’s Wrestling wins its first NAIA National Championship.

Dedication of the Dr. Chuck Ribley Lasting Purpose Alumni Event Center

Life U hosts a building dedication for the future site of the Dr. Chuck Ribley Lasting Purpose Alumni Event Center for both alumni and students. The building will be named in honor of co-founder and former longtime Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman of the University.

Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its fifth NAIA National Championship, and first since 2000.

Running Eagles Performance Center Opens

Life U opens Running Eagles Performance (REP) Center, a 14,000 square-foot, multi-use facility overlooking Lupo Family Field that features a dedicated wrestling practice room, a strength and conditioning space, locker rooms, offices and athletic training space.

Life U Men’s Outdoor Track and Field wins its sixth NAIA National Championship, marking back-to-back titles. Life U Women’s Rugby wins College Premier 7s National Championship.