The spaces


that shape the Palmer experience


There’s a path in Port Orange that tells you something about how Palmer College of Chiropractic thinks about campus spaces. It runs from Building 2 to Building 4,


cutting through the campus from the parking lot near a crepe myrtle tree. It began as worn grass; the route students naturally chose because it was the most direct way to get where they were going. In design, these are sometimes called “desire paths” or


“elephant paths.” They emerge when people show you, through their everyday behavior, how they actually want to use a space. “Soon, that path was paved with white brick,” says Joy Lewis, Ed.D., M.S., dean of academic affairs. “It’s a great example of how we think about our spaces. Students showed us, and we listened. It represents


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how Palmer pays attention to what students, faculty, and patients need and then responds by creating spaces that help people succeed, learn, collaborate, heal, and feel that they belong.” That idea guides the College’s approach


to creating meaningful spaces on campus. At Palmer’s Iowa campus, College Provost Dan Weinert, D.C., Ph.D. (`96), points to the David D. Palmer Learning Commons as an example. Designed as a central hub, it gives students places to study independently, collaborate, access technology, grab a smoothie or energy drink, or simply spend time with one another between activities. “Its design reflects how students learn today,” Dr. Weinert says. “They are on their own devices, with digital resources, video, and


“It’s a great example of how we think about our spaces. Students showed us, and we listened. It represents how Palmer pays attention to what students, faculty, and patients need and then responds by creating spaces that help people succeed, learn, collaborate, heal, and feel that they belong.


—Joy Lewis, Ed.D., M.S., dean of academic affairs


FALL 2026


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