From the President

Sherman Returns to Original Name: Sherman College of Chiropractic

Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic is now known as Sherman College of Chiropractic. The college’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to authorize the college’s name change on October 17, 2009, during its fall meeting.

Sherman College of Chiropractic is the name under which the college was founded in 1973; the college added the word “straight” to the name in the late 1970s.

The college will always remain true to its roots, providing a curricular focus on traditional chiropractic. Our founding name better reflects who we are – a contemporary educational institution committed to providing the best education possible, an institution with a strong commitment to educational progress, and an institution geared to meeting the demands of chiropractic students, both today and in the future.

Strong support was shown for this decision in a 2008 survey of alumni and supporters. We will spend the coming months revising college promotional materials as well as the college web site to reflect the change.

Getting Cranked up with CollegeTown

I am just beginning my journey as chair of the CollegeTown council, a cooperative effort among the six colleges of Spartanburg County. As chair, I’ll be working closely with Ms. Rogers Brandt, the executive director of CollegeTown and the presidents of the other five colleges in Spartanburg.

In case you didn’t know, Spartanburg County is fortunate to have six distinct institutions of higher education within its boundaries: Converse College, Sherman College, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg Technical College, the University of South Carolina Upstate, and Wofford College. The CollegeTown Consortium, along with the City of Spartanburg, is committed to developing our City into a distinct “college town.” Spartanburg has the highest per capita college student population of any major city in the state!

Ms. Brandt was on campus for Bagelfest last week and provided our students with CollegeTown cards that offer discounts at participating local merchants. She was surprised to see that I knew many of our students by name.

In addition to providing perks like discount cards to Spartanburg students, the Consortium creates opportunities for students and institutions to connect with the City and aims to enhance students’ academic, social and service opportunities through institutional collaborations. The Consortium also seeks resource savings and programmatic enrichment opportunities among colleges through collaboration.

The college presidents will be meeting in January to plan CollegeTown events for 2010. I look forward to working with them, especially the new members of the council, Dr. Para M. Jones, president of Spartanburg Community College, and Dr. Colleen Perry Keith, president of Spartanburg Methodist College.

Philosophy and Science of Chiropractic

For some people, there is a disconnect between philosophy and science. They don't understand that each feeds the other. Philosophy looks at the data and asks questions, and science collects the data for philosophy to analyze. Neither is complete without the other. That is why at Sherman we continuously teach and work through our philosophy of straight chiropractic.

 

Advances in Chiropractic Science and Philosophy took center stage at The International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS), an annual fall event we hosted on the Sherman campus October 16-18. As part of this thought-provoking weekend, Sherman also hosted the ICA Council on Chiropractic Philosophy Diplomate Graduation ceremony on Saturday, October 17.

 

I offer my congratulations to the following graduates:.

 

Terry James Van Dervort, D.C., ACP
Beth Risser, D.C., LCP
Masahiko Matsushita, D.C., LCP
James Milliron, D.C., LCP
Harold “Skip George, D.C., LCP
W. John Cox, D.C., LCP

Is Sherman the Best Chiropractic College for You?

What should a person look for when deciding what makes the best chiropractic college? You could look at the location: we are near the Blue Ridge Mountains and only a few hours from East Coast beaches. You could look at the staff and faculty: here people know you by your name. Or you could look at the energy of the campus or the low cost of living, or any of the other factors that might make a tipping point for you.

But I believe the best place to start is to look at how the college focuses on chiropractic. Examine the philosophy of the school. Does it try to be everything to everyone, teaching many different types of therapeutic modalities, or does it truly focus on chiropractic? Do the faculty members practice outside the school, and do they participate in chiropractic research? Is their passion all about chiropractic? 

Then look at the success of the graduates. Here's a mundane statistic that takes a bit of thinking to understand: Sherman grads have a loan default rate of 0.7%, a tenth of the rate of our nearest competitor. This means, in short, that Sherman students pay off their loans -- that they are successful after graduation. If you want to be a chiropractor, to be the best doctor of chiropractic you can be, take a close look at Sherman for your education.

You can do just that at The Pride of Sherman Tour November 2-3, 2009. See the campus in the beauty of the fall, meet and talk with students and faculty, visit the health center and get a sense of the energy at Sherman College. If you are serious about being a chiropractor and you want to share our focus on philosophy, our passion for bringing chiropractic to the world, and our success stories, give us a good look. We'll even put you up for the night. You’ll find more information here:  http://www.sherman.edu/edu/future/pridetour.asp. See you at the Pride Tour!

Welcome Back, R. J. Rockers

The growth and development of Spartanburg is always exciting to me as that shows the health of our community.  The last Chamber meeting was especially fun because it celebrated the re-opening of R.J. Rockers microbrewery and restaurant, which has returned to downtown. The micro-brews that they produce are well-known among those who appreciate crafted beer, and they have won many awards at festivals such as Nashville's Brewgrass Festival.

Of course we had a glass of their excellent wares, which were previously available locally only on a limited basis. I was able to socialize for a few minutes with alumni Nick Wise and Todd Riddle, who is now teaching at Sherman.

I'm looking forward to the new restaurant that will be opening soon, Cornbread to Caviar, and to checking out the new jazz club. It's important to keep Sherman in front of the community leaders and to build relationships with them ... and sharing cold draft never hurts—unless it is spilled (on me!) and wasted!

 

Farewell Dr. Dan Terhune

Dr. Dan Terhune has stepped down as president of Spartanburg Community College, and that means that I won't be seeing him on the various community organizations to which we both belong, and through which we became friends. He always asked about Sherman College with genuine interest, and he acted as a role model for me in his work in the community.  I can only aspire to bring the kind of growth to Sherman that Dan brought to the community college: two new campuses, three new buildings and three times as many students in only 13 years. I wish him the best of success in whatever he decides to tackle next.

Shermanpalooza in Detroit – October 8 at the Doubletree Hotel Detroit/Dearborn

Shermanpalooza events were held in the north, east and west, and coming soon to Detroit – our finale!  I am looking forward to speaking with prospective students, local alumni and other DCs in the area.

This Shermanpalooza will be hosted by Kenneth Hughes, D.C. at the Doubletree Hotel Detroit/Dearborn at 7 pm on Thursday, October 8.  Dr. Hughes is a 1986 Sherman grad and member of our board of trustees.  He remains very active in the profession by serving as a member of the board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Chiropractic, and a member of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations and the International Chiropractic Association.  Dr. Hughes is very excited about hosting this event and spreading the chiropractic message worldwide.

Come and visit with us for a free meet and greet session.  You can win a special prize when you bring the most prospective students!  Find out more about Shermanpalooza at http://www.sherman.edu/shermanpalooza/.

Fall 2009 – Get involved to start building your career now

Each new class that comes to Sherman reminds me of my first days here, of all the excitement and hard work of days in class and nights studying. The one thing I would suggest for each new student is to get involved. Get to know your quarter classmates, but also get to know as many of the other students and faculty as possible. We are a small family, so we can all be on a first-name basis. Build relationships for the future, and develop your interpersonal skills.

Join clubs to explore different techniques and meet other students. Participate in Fun Day activities. Help with fundraisers for WCCS and other groups even when it isn't the right time for you to go on a trip or other function. Come to social events sponsored by clubs. Volunteer whenever possible through CollegeTown, Adopt a Highway, or other events in the community. Helping at Lyceum makes contacts with the successful alumni who may be role models for your future practice. Get in the habit of working in the community to develop the skills you will need in three-and-a-half short years to begin building your practice.

While you are a student, it's easy to get caught up in going to class and studying. But manage your time to allow for interaction with the community that is Sherman. Paying your time forward in this way will pay you back with lifelong relationships with friends and colleagues. What you know is important, but it's also who knows you.

Shermanpalooza on the West Coast in Seattle on October 1

I’m looking forward to meeting with our alumni in the Seattle area and other DCs.  Come and visit with us for a free meet and greet session with your fellow chiropractors for an hour of fellowship.  Be sure to bring prospective students for a chance to win a special prize!  This Shermanpalooza is hosted by Michael Lenarz, D.C., at the Lynnwood Convention Center Hotel in Lynnwood, Seattle at 7pm on Thursday, October 1.

Dr. Lenarz is founder of Health First Chiropractic which consists of four upper cervical offices, and one office under the name of Dynamic Life Chiropractic.  He is a 1987 Sherman grad and member of our board of trustees.  His thoughts to bring alumni, DC’s and prospective students together to talk about the Sherman difference and the ultimate gift of chiropractic is how this event was created ... Kudos to the “idea guy” behind Shermanpalooza. 

Register in advance, and find out more about Shermanpalooza at http://www.sherman.edu/shermanpalooza/.

Shermanpalooza Coming to Philadelphia this Week!

Come and visit with us for a free meet and greet session with your peers in chiropractic. This Shermanpalooza is hosted by Alan Brewster, D.C., at the Philadelphia Marriott West Hotel at 7pm on Thursday, September 24.

Alan is a 1989 Sherman graduate, and a member of our board of trustees. He is very excited about getting us together to talk chiropractic and to encourage you to bring along a prospective student--or six!

I'm looking forward to meeting with our alumni in the area and other DCs. You can win a special prize when you bring the most prospective students!  Register in advance, and find out more about Shermanpalooza at http://www.sherman.edu/shermanpalooza/.