Michael Crawford, chancellor of the Palmer Chiropractic University system since its inception in 1991, has announced his retirement from a 35-year career in higher education, effective July 1, 2003. A successor is expected to be announced before he retires. Mr. Crawford conceded he will do some consulting work for the university after his retirement.
"Having been with Palmer the last decade has been an exciting and rewarding time," Mr. Crawford said.
"It's gratifying and more than a little nostalgic to look back over the years and think about all the wonderful people with whom I have worked."
"Mr. Crawford has demonstrated a passionate commitment to both educational excellence and the chiropractic mission. It was with considerable regret that the board accepted Mr. Crawford's plan to retire," said Vickie Palmer, chairman of the Palmer Board of Trustees.
Mr. Crawford said he had "no doubt" the three Palmer campuses (Davenport, IA, San Jose, CA, Port Orange, FL) will continue to be a connected and integrated system of colleges. "All the Palmer colleges have the same philosophy, policies and practices, and will have a common curriculum in the near future," he vowed. "This must be the case if Palmer is to lead the profession, which is our responsibility and legacy as 'The Fountainhead of Chiropractic Education.'"
Mr. Crawford had high praise for the leadership of the president of the Palmer colleges, Dr. Guy Riekeman, and his cabinet and councils.
During the Crawford tenure, the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, the Palmer Institute for Professional Advancement and the Palmer Foundation for Chiropractic History were established. "The success of the research center is especially gratifying in view that it (was) awarded the first-ever federal dollars to address the vital need for chiropractic research," Mr. Crawford recalled. Palmer's outlook also became international under Crawford, with Palmer support for chiropractic education in Brazil and New Zealand.
Mr. Crawford said he was proud to be a part of the recent multimillion dollar campus improvement in Davenport, and in developing closer ties between Palmer and the Quad-City community. He is serves or has served on the board of directors of Davenport One, the Downtown Davenport Development Corp., and the Quad-City Development Group. "Palmer College will continue its positive community relationship. In a similar way, Palmer West and Palmer Florida will be involved community citizens."
Mr. Crawford began his career in higher education in 1967 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a marketing and business instructor. In 1971 he was appointed Kirkwood's vice president, with responsibilities in federal agency and congressional relations; grants; private foundation funding; public and community relations; fundraising; alumni affairs; and contract negotiations. From 1975 to 1978 he served as executive director of the ACCTion Consortium in Washington, D.C., a group he helped establish to provide technical assistance in a variety of areas to more than 150 developing community colleges.
In 1978, he was appointed chancellor of the Eastern Iowa Community College District, serving as chief executive officer for Scott, Clinton and Muscatine community colleges. Accomplishments during that period included North Central accreditation for the district; fiscal stability; development of a common system for educational program delivery; a nationally recognized staff development program; and aggressive marketing that helped generate an enrollment increase of 45 percent. From 1986 to 1991 he served as chancellor of the St. Louis Community College District.
For the immediate future, Mr. Crawford and his wife, Ginger, plan to remain in the Quad Cities.
