Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida (PCCF), which opened its doors to students in October 2002, was recently granted national accreditation by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). The college had operated under temporary accreditation since opening, until receiving regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) in February 2004.
"This is a monumental achievement not only for Palmer Florida, but for the Palmer Chiropractic University System and the chiropractic profession," said Gloria Niles, DC, academic dean and interim senior campus administrator. "The entire Palmer community is to be credited for this achievement."
The Commission on Accreditation (COA) of the CCE sent a site team to PCCF in May, and then met with representatives of the Palmer College of Chiropractic doctor of chiropractic degree program in July, during the commission's semiannual meeting. Discussion focused on Palmer's requests to include PCCF as a branch campus and to implement the Palmer Mastery Curriculum at the school. Following that meeting, the COA reached a consensus decision to extend accreditation to Palmer Florida.
If CCE accreditation had not been earned, PCCF was prepared to transfer its first graduating class (December 2005) to the main Palmer campus in Iowa, which has long-standing CCE accreditation. From this point on, PCCF will be included in Palmer's regular accreditation cycle.
"This accreditation is due to the hard work and dedication of many people at the Palmer Colleges, and particularly at Palmer Florida," noted Interim President Donald P. Kern, DC. "It is also a testament to our students, who enrolled at Palmer Florida believing that we would attain CCE accreditation before they graduated. This faith in the Palmer educational system speaks volumes about the excellence and stability of the Palmer Colleges."
The $20 million PCCF campus, located in Port Orange, Fla., has grown from its inaugural class of 46 to 288 students, 25 faculty members and 36 staff members. The city of Port Orange played a key role in bringing the campus to fruition, leasing the college a 25-acre site and facilitating the sale of bonds to fund construction.
Resources
- Palmer Florida earns CCE accreditation. Press release from Palmer College of Chiropractic, July 30, 2004.
- Statement on Palmer Florida accreditation. Palmer Chiropractic University news, July 21, 2004. www.palmer.edu/news.
- Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida opens in Port Orange. Dynamic Chiropractic, Nov. 4, 2002. www.chiroweb.com/archives/20/23/19.html.
- Two more jewels in Palmer Florida's crown. Dynamic Chiropractic, April 22, 2004. www.chiroweb.com/archives/22/09/14.html.
