The Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC's) Educational Conference brought together over 200 faculty and staff members of the chiropractic colleges, providing a unique opportunity for interaction. College presidents, vice presidents, chief financial and academic officers, directors of clinics, and the departments of postgraduate, admissions, development, alumni, public relations and financial aid were all represented.
Aside from numerous business meetings in session, faculty from the chiropractic colleges presented numerous papers on the latest in chiropractic educational research. (The abstracts have been published in the March 1994 edition of the Journal of Chiropractic Education.)
On Saturday morning all the participants joined together for a plenary session. The keynote speaker was James Mason, MD, DPH, former Assistant Secretary of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Mason spoke of the many problems and inequities in the current health care system, especially the void of primary care providers. He suggested that, with the basic science background in chiropractic education, the profession held the potential of stepping into this void.
Mr. Mason was followed by Carl Cleveland III, DC, president of the Council on Chiropractic Education and Cleveland College of Chiropractic-Kansas City and Los Angeles. Dr. Cleveland spoke of the historical significance of this educational conference and how important it is to the future growth and development of chiropractic education. A board member of the Chiropractic Centennial Foundation, Dr. Cleveland also spoke about the upcoming centennial celebration in 1995 and gave strong encouragement for all of the colleges to be supportive and involved.
The final speaker of the joint morning session was Gerard Clum, DC, president of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges and Life Chiropractic College West. Dr. Clum delivered a passionate and energetic oration on the merits of chiropractic, both its practical applications and conceptual positioning.
A question and answer session with a panel of college presidents proved interesting. Questions asked of the college leadership were not of the variety that necessitated simple yes or no answers, but engendered discussion and debate among the presidents. The audience observed first-hand the diversity of the profession and its educational institutions.
Because of the successful outcome of the meeting, the Association of Chiropractic Colleges has voted to make this an annual event to be held on the weekend each March when the national board exams are given. The 1995 meeting will convene again in Las Vegas.
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