Life University is a private university focused on training chiropractors and located in Marietta, Georgia, USA. It was established in 1974 by a chiropractor, Sid E. Williams. History The university was founded in 1974 by Williams as "Life Chiropractic College" on the site of a placer gold mine, next to Southern Technical Institute (later Southern Polytechnic State University and now Kennesaw State University - Marietta Campus). 22 students attended the first classes in January 1975. In 1989, the name was shortened to "Life College", as it had recently had opened an undergraduate program and was no longer purely chiropractic. This undergraduate program allowed Life to establish an intercollegiate athletic program. By 1990, it had grown to become the largest college of chiropractic in the world. In 1996, Life College became Life University. In March 2004, Guy Riekeman, the former chancellor of the Palmer Chiropractic University System, was appointed as the president of Life University. In 2017, Rob Scott took over as president of the university and Riekeman became chancellor. Accreditation The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor, master's and doctoral degrees. The doctoral degree program is also accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education. Two programs in dietetics are accredited by the American Dietetic Association. On June 7, 2002, the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), which is the national organization that accredits chiropractic schools in the US, revoked the accreditation status of Life University. A federal judge retroactively restored the accreditation in February 2003 and placed the chiropractic program on a probationary status. With the accreditation being restored retroactively to before the decision to revoke the accreditation, the University officially never lost its accreditation. Eventually, after the aftermath of the accreditation dispute, Life University stabilized student enrollment and maintained its academic program. Athletics The Life athletic teams are called the Running Eagles. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC; formerly known as Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) until after the 2003–04 school year) starting the 2022–23 academic year. The Running Eagles previously competed in Mid-South Conference (MSC) from 2014–15 to 2021–22; as an NAIA independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2008–09 to 2011–12 (and during the 2013–14 academic year), and in the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TranSouth or TSAC) during 2012–13.