"We believe that changes such as these will enhance the leadership position of chiropractic for education, research and service in the field of natural health and health care," explained John Allenburg,DC, president of the university. "With the strong public movement toward conservative health care, we shouldn't take a chance that any other profession might lead this new direction, most especially those with only market-driven motivation and little history of genuine commitment to natural approaches."
Dr. Allenburg noted that Northwestern College of Chiropractic will be "the flagship college and educational program" of the university and will remain distinct. "The name (Northwestern College of Chiropractic) will continue to be used in all documents and public communications related to chiropractic; when alumni gather each year, they will do so as Northwestern College of Chiropractic."
Also joining the Northwestern Health Sciences University are the Minnesota Institute of Acupuncture/Herbal Studies and the Sister Rosalind Gefre School of Professional Massage. "We recognize these other natural health service professions as ones that are growing in quality, stature and utilization. We think that we can facilitate that advancement by lending the resources that we have and creating structure for cooperation and integration of planning and services," explained Dr. Allenburg.
Northwestern Health Sciences University has received approval from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to begin offering this fall the first five master's level courses of a master of science degree in integrative health and wellness. Northwestern is seeking accreditation for this comprehensive, cross-disciplinary program, the first of its kind in the United States. Dr. Allenburg explained: "The program's primary purpose is to further support the qualifications of doctors of chiropractic as the best trained clinicians in the field of total wellness, based upon excellence in caring for vertebral subluxation and other biomechanical sources of nervous system and physiologic system dysfunction, combined with being the most qualified counselors to people in the field of healthful living, including nutrition, exercise and physical fitness."
The main campus of the university will be housed on the 25-acre campus of NWCC in Bloomington, which has 230,000 square feet of educational facilities, ranging from the 10,000 square-foot Greenawalt Library to a 600-seat auditorium. The campus in Bloomington includes the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies, which houses a faculty-staffed public clinic where more than 35,000 patients are treated each year, and one of the leading chiropractic clinical research centers in the United States. NWCC operates and staffs four other public clinics in the Twin Cities, including clinics at of Metropolitan State University and Abbott-Northwestern Hospital.
NWCC has an enrollment of 750 chiropractic students from around the world. The entrance standard is a minimum of three years of undergraduate studies. The chiropractic program is 10 trimesters of academic and clinical training and takes five academic years to complete. NWCC also offers a bachelor's of science degree in human biology.
The Minnesota Institute of Acupuncture and Herbal Studies (MIAHS) was founded in 1990 and has approximately 70 students enrolled in its programs. Previously located in St. Paul, MIAHS is the only accredited institution in Minnesota offering diplomates in oriental medicine and acupuncture. The oriental medicine program is a four academic year program of master's level instruction, including training in both acupuncture and herbs. Acupuncture and herbal studies classes for new students are being conducted on the campus of Northwestern Health Sciences University this fall. MIAHS has several public health care clinics in the Twin Cities designed for student internships.
Isaac Rodman,PhD, president of the MIAHS, said the university setting in Bloomington will provide the institute and its students and faculty access to educational resources "second to none" in the fields of acupuncture and herbal studies. He believes that this university is a logical outgrowth of the shared philosophy of natural health care of chiropractic, acupuncture and herbal therapy.
The Sister Rosalind Gefre School of Professional Massage has its main campus in St. Paul and additional campuses in Minnesota (Rochester and Mankato), Fargo, North Dakota, and recently opened a campus in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school also operates public clinics in the Twin Cities area and at its satellite campuses. The professional massage program entails 32 semester credits and is generally completed in a little over a year. Several hundred students are enrolled in the program.
The massage school has generated significant public attention over the last several years through; offering massage services at professional sporting events, such as the St. Paul Saints baseball games and Minnesota Timberwolves basketball games. The school was founded in 1984 in St. Paul by Sister Rosalind Gefre. Her concept was to promote the healing of body, mind and spirit within a Christian-centered philosophy.
"The university will benefit the professional massage school by providing us with more resources to best train massage therapists and to expand curriculum to reach the associate degree level," said Peter Fahnlander, chief executive officer of the school.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
.