Issue 14 - October 2004

Foundation to fund 21st century education, research
By Linda Segall

When the Florida bill to create a state chiropractic college within Florida State University was signed into law this year, a 30-year old project of the Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA) was awakened from dormancy.

The project was a foundation — the Florida Chiropractic Foundation for Education and Research (FCF) — established to promote chiropractic education and research and to provide scholarships to students desiring to become chiropractors.

Chiropractic Economics spoke with FCA CEO Debbie Minor Brown and FCA CEO Emeritus Dr. Ed Williams about the foundation and chiropractic education in Florida.

CE: Please give our readers some background on the foundation.

Williams: The foundation was the vision of several FCA leaders more than 30 years ago. At that time Drs. Herman Ulrich, Robert Gunther, Lee Arnold, Chuck Overstreet, Wayne Pitts, Dennis Jones, Jack Hendricks, Bert Hinton and others joined me in developing a vision for a chiropractic college within a university. The foundation was established to support that endeavor. There were early discussions with the University of Tampa. Brown: When discussions with [Tampa] did not evolve, a decision was made to maintain the foundation minimally until a Florida-based college or research institution requiring scholarship and funding support was established. That time has come.

CE: What are the goals of the foundation?

Brown: To provide scholarships and underwrite equipment and facility needs for the new college at FSU and to support research at the Lincoln Chiropractic and Biomechanical Research Center at FSU. The foundation has also established a new scholarship fund at the Palmer Florida campus.

CE: Since the foundation will be providing scholarships to students at the new chiropractic college at FSU, tell us about FCA’s role in getting the school established.

Williams: After Dennis Jones [DC] was elected to the legislature about 20 years ago, he and I began dreaming about a chiropractic college within the state university system. The dream became an obsession.

Brown: FCA became involved when we embarked on a mission to raise $1 million to fund an eminent scholar chair and research center for chiropractic and biomechanics at FSU. The question arose, “Now that there will be a world-class chiro-practic research center at FSU, why not have a chiropractic college?”

The idea was irresistible and FCA made it a legislative priority — lobbying actively for appropriations for necessary studies and early planning. Sen. Dennis Jones and Rep. Frank Farkas [both chiropractors] took up the challenge. After five years and several interim appropriations totaling more than $1 million, the chiropractic college received a recurring annual appropriation of $9.5 million in 2004 and construction plans are in process. The first students may be enrolled as early as fall 2005.

CE: How will the FSU college of chiropractic be different from other colleges?

Brown: One primary difference is the five-year program of study in which students will earn a masters degree as well as a doctor of chiropractic degree.

The program will meet all of the criteria of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) for its DC degree program. The cost of the program will be less than half of the costs at a private institution. This will help meet one of our primary goals for the school — to improve minority access to chiropractic education.

Another difference is that it will have the best football team in chiropractic!

Williams: Our vision for this college is that it will become the Harvard of chiropractic education and the foremost research institution in chiropractic. By statute, the enrollment is capped at a maximum of 500 students. Consequently, the brightest and the best will compete for acceptance.

CE: How much money has been raised for this foundation?

Brown: To date $90,000 has been raised — $12,000 at the FCA convention. And the foundation has only been actively engaged [from its dormancy] for seven months. The largest donors to date are Biofreeze/Performance Health, The Doyle Group/Chiropractic Economics, Brevard County Chiropractic Society, Dr. Stanley Kaplan and the Southwest Florida Chiropractic Society.

CE: How will the scholarship and research monies be distributed?

Brown: Funds will be distributed according to the criteria established by the foundation’s eight-member volunteer board of directors — Dr. Ken Doughtery, president; Debbie Brown, secretary; Jim Loomis, CPA, treasurer; Stanley Greenfield; and Drs. Ed Williams, Dan Dodd and William Nevius. Some $50,000 in early scholarship and research support has already been given to the FSU foundation and additional scholarship dollars have been donated to Palmer Chiropractic College.

Williams: As time goes by, the foundation will become actively involved in estate planning and other tax-advantaged charitable giving opportunities. Individuals and companies may help by making sizeable contributions to the foundation and establish named scholarships and endowments under the guidance of the foundation.

To date, the foundation has already established the Dr. Jimmy Glisson Scholarship and the Dr. Ed Maurer Memorial Scholarship, as well as the Biofreeze/Performance Health Scholarship. It has also established the Dr. Palmera Kabana Memorial Scholarship at Palmer Chiropractic College, Florida campus.

CE: How can individuals or companies contribute?

Brown: They can send a check payable to Florida Chiropractic Foundation. The address is: Florida Chiropractic Foundation, c/o FCA, 217 N. Kirkman Road, Suite 1, Orlando, FL 32811. All contributions are completely tax-deductible.

Williams: We would cherish the support of all of your readers and every chiropractic physician in the world to assist us in building and growing this foundation to be the largest to chiropractic education, research and scholarship endeavors in the world. Our goal is to move chiropractic education and research far into the 21st century and make it the worldwide leader in delivery of healthcare services.

Linda Segall is editor-in-chief of Chiropractic Economics.