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Need key to chiro school fate

Statistics point to a potential glut of chiropractors, which could hamper FSU's bid to establish a new school.

By RON MATUS
Published January 24, 2005

The furor over a proposed chiropractic school at Florida State University has been stoked by a power struggle over the state's universities and a feud between medical doctors and chiropractors.

But when the Board of Governors meets Thursday to decide the school's fate, it will consider a more fundamental issue:

Need.

On that front, the numbers are not in the school's favor.

Florida has more chiropractors per capita than the national average and needs 108 a year to keep up with demand, according to a recent staff report to the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida universities.

Meanwhile, a new, private chiropractic college near Daytona Beach is expected to produce 188 graduates per year by 2007.

Given the potential glut of chiropractors, a $60-million chiropractic school at FSU will be a tough sell, said Board of Governors Chairwoman Carolyn Roberts.

"We're talking about not only providing the number of chiropractors needed in our state ... but the use of limited resources," Roberts told the Times last week. "You can't separate the two."

In recent months, board members have shown a willingness to shoot down lesser academic proposals, including new doctoral programs. And they may be more inclined to take a strong stand on the chiropractic school given a lawsuit that accuses them of whiffing on their constitutional responsibilities and comments by Gov. Jeb Bush urging them to "vote their consciences."

Bush's advice last week was widely viewed as cover for board members to kill the school.

But that might be easier said than done.

The chiropractic plan is near and dear to powerful state lawmakers, including state Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, an FSU graduate who quietly prodded the Legislature into giving the school $9-million a year, and state Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, a chiropractor who hopes to work at the school.

Politically, it has been radioactive. FSU professors held their tongues for months for fear of legislative payback. And state Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, watching from the sidelines, decided two weeks ago to push a plan banning lobbyists from state education boards because of the potential for arm-twisting.

Giving the dynamics in play, Roberts called next Thursday's vote "a pivotal point for our board."

Lost amid the drama: The question of need.

Pointing to the numbers, the staff report asks, "what will constitute a persuasive argument of need and demand that justifies the investment associated with creating a publicly funded chiropractic school?"

Supporters say the FSU chiropractic school will reform the profession, using evidence-based treatments to steer chiropractic away from its more controversial positions. They also say it will be a boon for minority students and an alternative to more expensive, private chiropractic colleges.

FSU's proposal points to the tiny fraction of chiropractors who are African-American and Hispanic - there are fewer than 50 in Florida - and says FSU will put a premium on the recruitment and retention of minority students.

The St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP recently weighed in, saying in a letter to the Board of Governors that the chiropractic school is "a great opportunity to get more black wealth through licensed professionals."

In 2002, the median salary for chiropractors was $65,000 a year.

"This school makes sense for us," said NAACP branch president Darryl Rouson.

Supporters say low tuition is another selling point.

Tuition at the nation's 17 private chiropractic colleges averages nearly $17,000 a year, the staff report says, while FSU says tuition at its chiropractic school likely will be about $11,000 a year.

"Should Florida students not have that option?" asks Jack Hebert, director of government relations for the Florida Chiropractic Association.

The group is disputing some of the state's numbers, saying more recent figures show Florida has fewer chiropractors per capita than the national average.

Hebert also said it remains to be seen whether Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida, the new private school in Volusia County, will produce as many chiropractors as projected.

Palmer is the only chiropractic school in Florida. The next closest one is outside Atlanta.

Palmer officials declined to comment.

When it meets in Gainesville on Thursday, the Board of Governors won't have a clear position from FSU as a guide. FSU trustees recently voted to ask the board if FSU can continue reviewing the school - a vote critics panned as a punt.

The board is likely to entertain several options, including the request from FSU and an up-or-down vote.

But it could avoid a vote altogether.

Roberts warned FSU trustees that if they did not take a stand, the Board of Governors would consider the application "incomplete" and not review it.

"I don't think there's a proposal to be acted on," said state Education Commissioner John Winn, who also sits on the Board of Governors.

--Ron Matus can be reached at 727 893-8873 or matus@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 24, 2005, 01:31:19]