AJC Sid Williams founded Life University 28 years ago.

Sid Williams' reign at Life University is finished.

His wife is gone. His daughter is gone, and his ability to influence the university he founded is gone.

A month of indecision culminated Monday morning when Life trustees made the announcement. All ties between the Williams family and Life have been severed.

At least for now.

Life University's board of trustees announced Monday that Williams and his family were no longer involved in the school's management, the school's corporate board had been permanently dissolved and Life officials were appealing a recent decision to revoke the university's accreditation.

Williams, in his first statements on the issue, said he bowed out for the sake of school but that he wanted to resurface at some point.

"It's a sad experience for us. but we've accepted it. When this accreditation cloud begins to dissipate, certainly we're going to be interested in Life University again and in developing a chancellor's office possibility [for me]," the former Life University president said.

Williams never accepted responsibility for the chiropractic program's losing its accreditation. It wasn't his management style or his views on chiropractic that caused the program to get in hot water with the Council on Chiropractic Education, he said.

"I have opinions, and very strong opinions, but I'd rather not comment, other than it was the decision of the chiropractic commission on accreditation. It was their decision.

"Obviously, I'd be a poor president if I didn't believe that we should have been accredited. We all put a superb effort into this. We had plenty of time to prepare and we were superb. But in their opinion, it wasn't good enough. I'm not accusing anybody of anything.

"I'm not accusing the commission of any wrongdoing, except we believe we made it," Williams said.

For students, the power struggle between Williams and the board of trustees translates to this: What about me?

Gerard W. Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West, addressed the students on behalf of Life University's trustees Monday. He said students had every reason to be concerned.

"The circumstances you find yourselves in are serious, there's no question about that," Clum said to the hundreds of students gathered in the school's gymnasium. "I continue to be cautious as I approach this thing on your behalf. But the bottom line is -- this is going to need more time to play out."

"Is it time for some creative thinking on the part of everyone involved?" Clum added. "I think it is."

Clum, who was greeted by a standing ovation and received regular rounds of applause from the crowd, delivered the bulk of yesterday's presentation. Flanked by two projector screens, he used a PowerPoint presentation to detail the options for the university's future and the work that lies immediately ahead.

With a mixture of hope and sober pragmatism, Life University officials laid out several options, including regrouping and seeking accelerated reaccreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education, the same organization now seeking to strip the school of its academic credentials.

In the short term, however, the board of trustees will be working to hire an interim president. Despite news reports to the contrary, the position is not yet filled. The board hopes to have an announcement on that front by July 12, Clum said.

At the same time, the trustees will be interviewing candidates for the permanent appointment to Sid Williams' former position. That selection process is expected to be completed by about the end of July.

But it is the accreditation appeal process on which the school's future hinges. There are several ways that could unfold. The university has 30 days from the date the notice of appeal is filed to develop its formal appeal. The clock started ticking Monday.

Once CCE receives a formal appeal from Life University, the agency will have 60 days to respond to the document. After a response is issued, then a hearing date must be established.

The hearing provides an opportunity for testimony and input on the appeal.

If the appeal is denied, the process is over and the chiropractic school will start preparing to shut its doors. The program must cease operations and close. At that point a "teach-out" agreement must be submitted to the CCE and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools under which students have a reasonable opportunity to complete their education.

If the appeal is successful, the school would regain its accreditation.

While that appeal process moves along, Life officials will be reviewing offers from other chiropractic institutions seeking to assist the university and its students.

Life already has received a formal offer of assistance from the Cleveland College of Chiropractic.

But even with all that said, officials Monday were hesitant to predict the future.

"I'm not pessimistic and I'm not optimistic," Clum said. "It's an uphill battle. There's a lot of hard work ahead. All the breaks have to fall in the right order for this to happen."

With the demise of the university's corporate board, it is the trustees who will be steering the university through the murky waters ahead.

All actions taken by the corporate board during the past few weeks are now being reversed -- an announcement that sparked thunderous applause from the audience. That means trustees removed recently by the corporate board will retain their seats. Those affected by the change in course include James Sigafoose and Paul Penn.

Following the forum, student Jason Penaluna expressed optimism about the future.

"I have faith now," Penaluna said. "With the Williams family stepping down, I'm confident Dr. Clum and the new board will do their job. The school is a huge piece of chiropractic history. I trust the fact that it is bigger than this problem."