A world centered on vitalistic thinking and action.
We believe
that living systems are self-aware, self-developing, self-maintaining and self-healing.
We understand
that living systems function best when operating free of interference.
We recognize
that interference results in the diminished expression and quality of life.
Therefore, Life University’s programs are designed to educate students to identify and correct interference, allowing living systems to improve expression of their innate potential.
The mission of Life University is to empower each student with the education, skills and values to maximize the perfection within, based upon a vitalistic philosophy.
Life University is committed to a global vision and excellence in teaching, learning and research, providing an exceptional student experience leading to a life of Integrity and Lasting Purpose.
College of Chiropractic
The mission of Life University’s College of Chiropractic, centered on the Vertebral Subluxation Complex, is to educate, mentor and graduate skilled and compassionate Doctors of Chiropractic to be primary care clinicians, physicians, teachers and professionals, using the University’s Core Values as their foundation.
College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies
The mission of the Life University College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies is to empower students to achieve successful careers and meaningful lives, based on a vitalistic philosophy that promotes optimum performance and transformational leadership, to produce a positive impact in a dynamic world.
College of Online Education
The Mission of Life University’s College of Online Education is to provide a high-quality global online educational experience, based on a vitalistic philosophy, that maximizes each student’s innate potential to pursue their goals and assume roles in leadership and the workplace through the application of integrity and principles of Lasting Purpose.
With its vitalistic vision, clearly defined performance proficiencies and measurable criteria for success, a Life University education will produce leaders who exemplify humanistic values and, in a world where change is constant, provide innovative approaches to direct that change to elevate society and evolve its healthcare system.
Goal #1
Provide a performance-centered environment in which all Life University community members are inspired and empowered to apply a principled approach to their roles as transformational leaders for Lasting Purpose.
Goal #2
Provide diverse, mission-focused programs for students so that every graduate will have the skills, knowledge and values to be prepared for success in their chosen profession.
Goal #3
Enhance the student experience through a culture of professional development and optimal personal wellness based on a vitalistic philosophy.
Initiative #1
Become the preeminent performance-centered vitalistic health care institution in the world.
Initiative #2
Become the unchallenged leader in providing practical applications for success in business and in life.
Initiative #3
Break into the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings.
Initiative #4
Establish continuity in stewardship and ensure our lasting legacy in leadership, strategic planning, stability, robust constituencies and delivery on our brand promise.
Life University is founded on a set of values that guide our vision and the decisions we make every day from brand identity to degree programs, to building construction and café nutritional offerings. These values collectively create a culture that is unique to Life University and are:
Lasting Purpose
The University was founded on the ethos, “To Give, To Do, To Love To Serve – Out of a Sense of Abundance.”
Vitalism
The University degree programs are carefully vetted through a philosophical filter that recognizes all living organisms as conscious, self-developing, self-maintaining and self-healing.
Wellness Lifestyle
The University’s definition of wellness acknowledges the holistic relationship of a person to the environment and overall health including Physical, Mental, Social, Intellectual, Environmental and Spiritual wellbeing.
Eight Core Proficiencies
The University is concerned with character development, as well as granting degrees and has designed eight core values and the skill sets to live the values of Integrity and Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Belief Systems and Performance, Communication and Relationship Theory, Contemporary Scientific Paradigms, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Philosophy of Health Care Policy, and Integrative Change.
Certainly, other institutions have designed values-based education or definitions of wellness, but it is the combination of these four pillars that define the core of a Life University education.
Founded in Marietta, Georgia in 1974, Life University is a health sciences institution most known for its chiropractic program, the largest single campus chiropractic program in the world. Life University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, and also has programmatic accreditation through the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The mission of Life University is to empower students with the education, skills and values necessary for career success and life fulfillment, based on a vitalistic philosophy.
We are vitalistic visionaries relentlessly committed to disruptive social innovation. Through education, research and vital conversations, Life University is creating thought leaders who are defining the paradigm shift that is transforming the world view of vitalistic health and wellness.
We offer a variety of revolutionary Undergraduate and Graduate programs rooted in innovation and purpose, along with the world’s most extensive and philosophically sound Chiropractic program. Life University is breaking boundaries in multiple disciplines across the health and wellness spectrum by impacting and inspiring future leaders to become life-changing revolutionaries. We encourage our students to think freely and embrace reformative ideas, allowing the student to maximize their innate potential.
These four elements include
• Values = Eight Core Proficiencies which advance personal integrity and provide the foundation for success, social contribution and cultural change
• Philosophy = Vitalism—that all organic systems in the universe are conscious, self-developing, self-maintaining and self-healing.
• Wellness Lifestyle = A Portfolio of programs and services that help people optimize their personal performance
• Service = Lasting Purpose — To Give, To Do, To Love, To Serve — Out of a Sense of Abundance.
We have eighteen specialized degrees in our undergraduate and graduate programs, with defined pre-professional tracks in the realm of natural and vital health including an accelerated pre-chiropractic track, graduate programs in sport health science, clinical nutrition, athletic training and positive psychology; and a doctorate program in Chiropractic.
Life University is an international institution committed to advancing the vital health revolution through education, social and clinical research, and serving as a think tank for global conversations enhancing the human experience.
The Life University ‘2020 Vision’ was launched in 2005 with the collaboration of the Executive Office and the Board of Trustees. The multi-year, multi-phase plan is now in Phase IV, and is focused on the following initiatives:
Undergraduate & Graduate Programs
Align existing and new programs to create pathways for “students with a purpose” to achieve advanced degrees and to reach enrollment of 3,000 UG & 1,000 Graduate.
Talking Points: Strategic programmatic expansion derived from the original LAMP document and the more current “Colorado Retreat” document will form the basis for creating a diverse program base for which to meet desired enrollment growth.
Chiropractic Program
Achieve enrollment of 2,000 students, with a waiting list, and growing our presence and position on being Thought Leaders of the profession.
Talking Points: Creating a new chiropractic curriculum that is engaging, more humane, integrating available learning technology and meeting the academic needs of the new graduate is central to the curriculum revision process. Of additional importance is the need to identify/establish an institutional research agenda that supports LIFE’s vitalistic perspective and DC program.
Strategic Enrollment Management
Develop, refine and implement sustainable long-term strategies that increase enrollment based on attracting “students with a purpose.”
Talking Points: LIFE is interested in pursuing “students with a purpose” for all of its degree programs. We will utilize new and existing strategies to promote programs consistent with LIFE’s values and that have the most opportunity for growth.
Facilities
Plan, create and achieve an innovative infrastructure that is conducive to meeting enrollment growth and supporting LIFE’s Vision.
Talking Points: In order for the environment to support planned growth, to meet the 2020 enrollment goals, there must not only be the additional physical space to accommodate the number of increased faculty and students, but also the environment must include the necessary amenities that are an expectation of today’s colleges and universities.
Village Culture (Destination)
Create a living/learning environment that draws and engages the LIFE and local communities in our vitalistic culture.
Talking Points: The student experience group continues to implement and follow through on the long list of more than 150 projects designed to improve student life on our campus.
Finance
Maintain and allocate resources to achieve the objectives of LIFE’s strategic plan in support of LIFE’s Vision.
Talking Points: LIFE must maintain fiscal responsibility in spending and borrowing, as well as ensure accuracy of accounting and budgeting of tuition and other revenues, in order to achieve strategic goals and remain in good standing with creditors.
University Advancement
Identify, cultivate, engage and steward constituencies for the development of resources to realize LIFE’s Vision.
Talking Points: To bring in new sources of revenue, LIFE must continue to build relationships that engage alumni and friends, as well as expand LIFE’s footprint beyond Chiropractic. Engaging constituents will increase pride, participation and giving. These broad goals will move LIFE toward its objectives.
Revenue Diversification
Develop alternative streams of revenue that support LIFE’s Vision and minimize our recurrent risk of dependency on DC tuition.
Talking Points: In order to diversify revenue, LIFE must develop a for-profit clinic system on the campus and in other locations, as well as invest in emerging products and services that are consistent with LIFE values and philosophy.
Global Initiatives
Develop educational opportunities and programs to spread vitalistic principles and Chiropractic globally.
Talking Points: Global Initiatives involve building sustainable partnerships for health care and education around the world. These partnerships have three primary areas of focus; student-centered, education programs and legislative leadership.
Thought Leadership
Position Life University as the thought leader in the ‘vitalistic conversation.’
Talking Points: LIFE has begun to establish itself as a thought leader in the vitalistic health care conversation. Through efforts to create avenues for dialogue, innovative products and actions in keeping Chiropractic drug-free, continued opportunities exist to further solidify this role.
- Life University is home to the largest single campus chiropractic college in the world.
- 88% of Life U’s chiropractic graduates pass all parts of the NBCE Licensing Exam within six months of graduation [Data from last four calendar years (2013-2016).
- Life U’s William M. Harris Center for Clinical Education contains a 23-room assessment center with state-of-the art video and audio capture technology that is the largest of its kind in chiropractic education.
- Life U has an enrollment of 2,615 students: 751 undergraduates and 1,864 graduate/professionals. 50% of those are female and 50% are male (Fall 2017).
- 39% of Life U’s student body are minority students, and the AJC published an article ranking Life U as the 8thmost diverse university in Georgia (Fall 2016).
- Public Health Online ranked LIFE’s nutrition program in the Top 40 in the country in 2016.
- Life U’s Master of Science in Positive Psychology degree is one of only three of its kind in the United States.
- Life U’s Master of Athletic Training degree is one of only 35 similar programs.
- More than 20,000 vehicles come to view our annual Lights of LIFE holiday light show, one of the largest and most affordable holiday light shows in the Southeast.
- Life U has partnered with Etsy.org to integrate Compassionate Integrity Training into the Good Work Institute’s Hudson Valley curriculum.
- Life U’s Chillon Project, a degree-granting program in Georgia’s prison system for incarcerated students and correctional officers, was launched and began classes in 2016.
- VitalAtlanta, an innovative healthcare collective in Midtown Atlanta that combines a birth center, chiropractic care, functional neurology, psychotherapy, naturopathy and more to create whole-health wellness was opened to the public in 2016.
- Life University hosts the annual Octagon Conference to bring together global leaders in health care and policy making to have world-changing dialogues on healthcare and the human endeavor.
- Our Center for Compassion, Integrity and Secular Ethics (CCISE) is working together with Children in Crossfire to bring compassion, mindfulness and secular ethics into schools in Derry, Northern Ireland, and from there hopefully into the general curriculum for Irish schools and beyond.
- Life U is currently in its 6th year of cooperation with Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. As one of the premier universities in China, the center serves as an excellent platform to promote Chiropractic to academic elites, high level government officials and industry leaders.
- In December 2015, Life U signed an undergraduate/graduate articulation agreement with Wenzhou Medical University in Wenzhou, China. This agreement allows Wenzhou undergraduate seniors to attend Life U and obtain a B.S. in Exercise Science, and then be able to go on to an M.S. in Sport Health Science. Qualified students may enter the Doctor of Chiropractic program as well.
- Dr. Hussein Elsangak, full-time Clinical Sciences faculty member in the College of Chiropractic at Life U, is a board member for the Alliance for Health Promotion, a Geneva-based, non-governmental organization (NGO) holding consultative status with the World Health Organization (WHO).
- In 2008, Life University and Universidad de Costa Rica (UNA) agreed to cooperative programs and research with the School of Human Movement and Quality of Life. Since then the relationship has produced opportunities for student and faculty exchange at the Cardio-Rehabilitation Center at UNA, participation in their annual symposiums, as well as ongoing research projects.
- Life University’s Athletic Department houses 19 intercollegiate sports teams, including 11 women’s teams, seven men’s teams and one co-ed team.
- Life U’s sports teams have won 24 combined national championships.
- The Life U Men’s Undergraduate Varsity rugby 15s team has made it to the USA Rugby Division 1A National Championship for five consecutive seasons (2013-2016), winning it twice (’13 and ’16).
- The Life U Women’s Undergraduate Varsity rugby 7s team won both the USA Rugby Collegiate 7s National Championship in 2016 and the Collegiate Rugby Championship in both 2016 and 2017.
- The Life U Men’s Basketball team has won three NAIA National Championships (1997, 1999, 2000). They finished as Runner-Up in 2017.
Life University — The not-so-little University that is changing the world
At Life University, we love acronyms. As part of conversation and internal messaging, it is fine to use them, but for official communication, the official name should be used first, with a notation of its acronym for future use in the same document. For example:
“Life University sees more than 60,000 patient visits annual in the Center for Health and Optimum Performance (C-HOP). C-HOP is an on-campus outpatient clinic that is open to the public…”
Programs / Departments / Buildings
ASAP—Administrator-Students Advocacy Program
C-HOP—Center for Health and Optimum Performance (Public Clinic)
CC-HOP—Campus Center for Health and Optimum Performance (Student Clinic) Funded by Foot Levelers
CCE—Center for Chiropractic Education
CETL—Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
CGUS—College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies
DIA—Diagnostic Imaging and Alignment
FERPA—Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act
HIPAA—Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
LRC—Learning Resource Center
LSSI—LIFE Sport Science Institute
NBCE—National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
OIEPR—Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Research
OSCE—Objective Structured Clinical Examination
OSRSA—Office of Sponsored Research and Scholarly Activity
PAR (Center)—Preparation, Analysis and Record Keeping
PASS—Progressive Advisement for Student Success
PEAK—Practice Excellence Art and Knowledge
SAC—Student Advocacy Center
SAP—Satisfactory Academic Progress
SHS—Sport Health Science
SLP—Serving Lasting Purpose
SSC—Student Success Center
TIC—Theory, Intelligence, Creativity
Accrediting Agencies
ACEND—Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
CCE—Council on Chiropractic Education
SACSCOC—Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
CAATE—Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
Publications
DLW—Daily LIFE Wire
LN&E—LIFE News & Events
FS&N—Faculty/Staff News
TCL—Today’s Chiropractic Leadership
(formerly Today’s Chiropractic Lifestyle)
YEL—Your Extraordinary LIFE
Miscellaneous
ACA—American Chiropractic Association
DE—Dynamic Essentials
F4CP—Foundation For Chiropractic Progress
FCA—Florida Chiropractic Association
FCS—Florida Chiropractic Society
GCA—Georgia Chiropractic Association
GCC—Georgia Council of Chiropractic
ICA—International Chiropractors Association
WCA—World Chiropractic Alliance
WFC—World Federation of Chiropractic
Associate Degrees
A.S. Computer Information Management
A.S. Health and Wellness
Bachelor’s Degrees
B.S. Biology
B.S. Biopsychology
B.B.A. Business Administration
B.S. Computer Information Management
B.S. Culinary Nutrition
B.S. Dietetics
B.S. Exercise Science
B.S. General Studies
B.S. Health Coaching
B.S. Nutrition
B.A. Positive Human Development and Social Change
B.S. Psychology
Master’s Degrees
M.A.T. Athletic Training
M.S. Clinical Nutrition
M.S. Positive Psychology
M.S. Sport Health Science
Professional
D.C. Chiropractic
Online Undergraduate Degrees
A.S. Health and Wellness
B.S. Biology
Pre-D.C.
Online Master’s Degrees
M.S. Positive Psychology (General and Coaching Psychology tracks)