“FOR ALL OF US AT PALMER, THIS MOMENT FEELS LIKE THE END OF AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER IN OUR HISTORY. IT IS ALSO THE START OF ANOTHER CHAPTER YET TO BE WRITTEN.”


—Dennis Marchiori, D.C., Ph.D. Chancellor and CEO


for the future, including educating students from the Western U.S. and Canadian market. For example, the brand-new $10.2 million Experiential Learning Center that opened this spring at the Fountainhead is already revolutionizing how Palmer students learn. With five technique labs and 20 stations for hands-on work as well as two new anatomy labs, Palmer’s Main campus is able to offer an experience the College can’t build in California. And in Port Orange, where enrollment has steadily climbed over the last 20 years, Palmer just unveiled a new 47,000–square foot academic building with state of-the-art lecture halls, classrooms and labs — a $17 million campus investment. “Prospective students have made it clear: they want the experience and amenities we’ve built and can offer at Palmer Main and Florida,” says Dan Weinert, D.C., Ph.D. (Main, ’96), college provost, who explains the enrollment trend that some current West students are transferring to the Fountainhead after initially starting their Palmer education in California. According to him, even just providing campus space where students can and want to gather to learn socially makes a world of difference. “Here in Davenport, every day I see students clustered by the dozens in the Learning Commons on their break, continuing to bond and learn from one another. That’s powerful.” “To keep making investments like those in the future,


we have to know our priorities and follow through on them, even when it’s difficult to do so,” says Dr. Marchiori. “Whether you look at D.D., B.J. and Mabel, or Dr. Dave, Palmer’s leaders have always strived to make the best decisions for current and future stakeholders, and we’re not about to stop now.”


“WE MADE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT when we did for the sake of full transparency,” says Dr. Weinert. “We wanted students to be able to make an informed decision about the best way to both start and complete their Palmer education.” Striving to take the same care in carrying out the decision as it did in making it, Palmer plans to provide current Palmer West students the opportunity to finish their degrees in California through March 2025. Eligible students will also


have the option to attend Palmer’s Main or Florida campus. “We plan for Palmer West to remain open and operational for three more years, and while it does, students can expect the same uncompromised chiropractic education they’ve always experienced, no matter the campus they’ve studied at,” says Dr. Weinert. The College will honor its commitment to do what’s best for students and their families. Along with offering the expertise of financial aid officers, student support services will be available to help students understand all of the options available to them. Student support services will remain in place while the campus is open. “We will work with each and every student to understand their unique situation and needs,” says Dr. Cunningham. “We want them to be completely confident in how they move forward.”


JUST AS THE DECISION TO OPEN a campus in California was the right decision for the Palmer College of 1980, the decision to stop enrolling students in California is the right decision for Palmer today. And today is no less a time of opportunity for the college — in fact, Palmer’s opportunity is greater now than it ever has been. One-hundred and twenty-five years after its founding, Palmer is making a strategic decision based on the strength of its position and its vision for the future. It’s a decision that stands to benefit students today, over the next three years and for decades into the future. “We look to all our alumni to share in that vision with us,” says Melbourne. “We can only achieve it together, with their confidence and support.” “For many, including all of us at Palmer, this moment feels like the end of an important chapter in Palmer history,” says Dr. Marchiori. “It is also the start of another chapter yet to be written as we move forward together as proud Palmer graduates from Main, Florida and West campuses. One thing is certain: we will continue to evaluate the opportunities available and act in our students’ best interests. That’s what The Trusted Leader in Chiropractic Education®


does.” 23


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