Florida Campus President
Dr. Peter Martin |
With the enthusiasm usually reserved
for a newly graduated D.C., Florida
Campus President Dr. Peter Martin hit
the road in the fall of 2009 on a mission
to share his upbeat message. “I
enjoy the heck out of it!” he said. “It’s
a different dynamic. Unlike larger conferences,
we can engage in meaningful
dialogue and focused conversations
with small groups of alumni and others
in the field.”
Sounding like the Johnny Cash song,
“I’ve Been Everywhere,” already, Dr.
Martin’s been to Atlanta, Jacksonville,
Altamonte, Ormond Beach, Lake City,
Gainesville, Lakeland, Ocala—well,
you get the picture. In every locale,
Palmer graduates from the Davenport
and Florida campuses have turned out
to meet with Dr. Martin and hear firsthand
about the exciting things happening
at Palmer and on the Florida
Campus. This experience also serves
as a kind of barometer for the state of
the profession and the College. “The
conversations lead to what is most
important to those in the field and for
us as a college,” said Dr. Martin.
In addition to the meetings held in
more than a dozen cities, Dr. Martin
attended Parker Seminars, the “Chiro
Summit” conferences and meetings
with six state chiropractic associations.
While his focus is on alumni in the
southeast, Dr. Martin has found
Palmer alumni everywhere he’s been.
“It’s an opportunity to gain valuable
insight and be a conduit for information
in critical areas such as healthcare
reform,” added Dr. Martin. He credits
Assistant to the President Peggy Quinn
for coordinating the logistics of his
meetings as well as for “holding down
the fort” during his visits.
Doctors in the field have reacted
enthusiastically to the visits, particularly
because the president of a
leading chiropractic college has
made himself available to share and
exchange information without asking
for anything in return. In a letter to
Dr. Martin, John O. Tucker, D.C.,
Davenport ’67, P.A., of Lakeland, Fla.,
said, “Thank you for the opportunity
to sit down with you. I hope you will
continue to do these luncheons
around the state and wherever you
travel. This personal touch will do
nothing but improve relations between
Palmer and those of us in the field.”
Some of the comments Dr. Martin has
heard during his travels are concerns
about chiropractic’s position in healthcare
reform, support for the Palmer
Center for Business Development,
an interest in the Clinic’s mentorship
model, and an appreciation for the
College elevating the profession by
being proactive politically and in
governmental affairs.
“I approach this initiative with no
set expectations or agenda. Instead
I allow the process to develop. I
want to show our alumni that the
school is still there for them,” added
Dr. Martin.