Life University


Life University is a private university in Marietta, Georgia focused on training chiropractors. It was established in 1974 by chiropractor Sid E. Williams. In addition to undergraduate and graduate programs in health and wellness-oriented fields, Life University is best known for its Doctor of Chiropractic degree program. It is the largest single campus chiropractic college in the world and espouses the 19th century philosophy of vitalism as its guiding doctrine. Life University centers their mission, including clinical training, around the vertebral subluxation complex.

History

Life University was founded in 1974 by Dr. Sid E. Williams as Life Chiropractic College. The school was established on the site of a placer gold mine, next to Southern Technical Institute. 22 students attended the first classes in January 1975.
In 1989 the name of the school was shortened to Life College, as the school recently had opened an undergraduate program and was no longer purely chiropractic. This undergraduate program allowed Life to establish an intercollegiate athletic program. By 1990, the school had grown to become the largest college of chiropractic in the world. In March 2004, Dr. Guy Riekeman, former Chancellor of the Palmer Chiropractic University System, was appointed as the President of Life University. In 2017 Dr. Rob Scott took over as President of the university and Dr. Riekeman became Chancellor.

Academics

Life University is divided into two colleges: the College of Chiropractic and the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies.
Life University offers a curriculum for pre-chiropractic that is not a degree program but may lead to an undergraduate degree, in preparation to enter the College of Chiropractic.
Life University's M.S. in Positive Psychology is one of just three similar programs in the entire United States.

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees.
The Doctor of Chiropractic degree program of Life University College of Chiropractic is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education.
The Didactic Program in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship Program are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association.

Campus

The campus is located in Marietta, Georgia on 110 wooded acres. The campus features five miles of walking and jogging trails, an outdoor amphitheater, outdoor seating and study areas, and reflection pools. LEED-certified green housing includes the Village Retreat, apartment-style living on campus. LIFE has restored a 19th-century village and gristmill, located on campus along Rottenwood Creek.
The Ian Grassam Treehouse is set amongst the trees and the lake, and serves as a student retreat.
The main dining area on campus is Socrates Café which opened in January 2010. The facility and outside patio focuses on sustainability initiatives, capable of zero waste through recycling, biodegrading and composting serving locally and serving organically grown food when possible.
Life University has more than 60,000 patient visits at its on-campus outpatient clinic each year. The outpatient clinic provides chiropractic care and wellness coaching. It also hosts a diagnostic imaging center, nutrition service department, as well as a functional kinesiology department and also offers healthcare classes.

Campus life

There are over 70 clubs and organizations on campus. 51% of the students are female and 49% are male. 38% of Life University's student body are minority students and more than 45 countries are represented by international students.

Athletics

Life University teams, known as the Running Eagles, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I level, primarily competing in the Mid-South Conference, effectively in the 2014–15 season. They formerly competed in the defunct TranSouth Athletic Conference during its only season in 2012–13 before competing as an Independent in the 2013–14 season. Men's intercollegiate sports include basketball, rugby, wrestling, swimming, volleyball, bowling and soccer; women's intercollegiate sports include basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, lacrosse, cross country, indoor/outdoor track, wrestling, bowling and rugby; co-ed intercollegiate sports include competitive cheerleading.

Intercollegiate Rugby Program

Life U's most notable sport is rugby. Life U's rugby program began in 1980. In 1982, Life U reached the finals of the collegiate national championships, losing to the University of California Golden Bears. Life U's undergraduate rugby program was reintroduced as a varsity sport and began play during the 2010–2011 season.
The Running Eagles were led by Head Coach Dan Payne from 2009 to 2013, who has both played for and been an assistant coach for the U.S. national rugby team. In 2014, Life U added a varsity women's rugby program. The Running Eagles reached the national quarterfinals in 2011 in its first season. Life U reached the national semifinals in the 2011-12 season, and finished the season ranked #2 in the country. Life U won the USA Rugby national championship in 2013, beating St. Mary's with a come-from-behind win in the final.
Life University has been successful in rugby sevens. Life U won the 2011 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships. Life U won the spring 2012 Las Vegas Invitational, earning a berth at the June 2012 Collegiate Rugby Championship, where Life U went undefeated in pool play and reached the semifinals. The CRC tournament, played at PPL Park in Philadelphia, is the highest profile college rugby tournament in the US and is broadcast live every year on NBC. Life U won the fall 2012 South Independent 7s tournament. This victory earned Life an automatic berth and a chance to defend its title at the fall 2012 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships, where Life U went 5–1 and finished second in the tournament, losing in the Cup Championship match to rival Arkansas State. In 2013, Life U went 5–1 at the USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships to finish 5th.
Since 1986, Life U has played at a senior level, including a stint in the Rugby Super League from 1997 to 2002. Life U rejoined the RSL in 2009. In 2000, Life U won the Rugby Super League National Championship, and in 2007, Life University's rugby team was ranked number one of the Division 1 clubs in the nation. It played the 2013 USA Rugby Elite Cup and later joined the American Rugby Premiership.
Other intercollegiate sports and club sports include basketball, volleyball, soccer, hockey, wrestling. Life won the NAIA Men's Basketball Championships in 1997, 1999 and 2000, and were runner-up in 1994 and 2017.