National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) President James F. Winterstein, DC, will retire from his position in 2013, according to an announcement made at the 2012 Homecoming event. Chair of the NUHS Board of Trustees, Mr. Tom Schonauer, made the announcement to alumni, faculty and staff on behalf of the board on Saturday, June 23, after the president’s annual “State of the University” address.

James F. Winterstein has been president of National University for 26 years, and part of its faculty for more than 40 years. In that time, he has cultivated National from a single purpose chiropractic college into a multi-program university that serves as a model for the future of integrative health care education.  A champion of broad-scope primary care practice for chiropractic physicians, he has raised academic and curriculum standards for NUHS, which have in turn established precedents for the profession. Under his leadership, NUHS has broken barriers in research, accreditation, and scientific publications, and has forged new bridges between professions – in the end, earning greater respect for the chiropractic profession in mainstream health care.

“I had let the board know that I wished to retire several years ago. It was my intent that the board could then establish a smooth transition plan in the best interests of the university,” says President Winterstein, who will be turning 70 next April. The board formed its transition committee in April 2011, and has since voted to grant the title of President Emeritus to Dr. Winterstein upon his retirement.  He will continue to serve as an employee of National University’s new president as long as his services are deemed necessary by his successor.

“Jim Winterstein has done an excellent job,” says Mr. Tom Schonauer on behalf of the NUHS Board of Trustees. “Overall, we believe the university has been very well managed under him: It’s financially solid, it has talented people, there is constant improvement and expansion of programs and facilities. If he weren’t in a position to retire, we’d have loved to have him stay on.”

In addition to his duties as President Emeritus, Dr. Winterstein and his wife Cynthia plan to move their primary residence to their farm in southern Illinois. In addition to tending a large garden and diving into his many hobbies, Dr. Winterstein hopes to travel with his wife. “I’ve visited South Africa on several occasions, helping our colleagues set up a chiropractic education program, and really enjoyed the people and the country,” he says. “I’d like to visit again, as well as do more motorcycle touring with my wife, as that is something we both enjoy.”

Additionally, Mr. Schonauer announced that the board has selected its candidate for the next president of NUHS. Joseph Stiefel, DC, MS, (currently pursuing his Ed.D) will assume the presidency in an official inaugural ceremony during NUHS’ homecoming in June 2013.  “The Board was well pleased with the direction the university has taken under Dr. Winterstein. As a consequence, we wanted to perpetuate this by choosing someone talented from within the organization to fulfill that goal,” says Mr. Schonauer.

Dr. Stiefel is currently dean of the College of Professional Studies for National University’s Florida campus, and has served on the NUHS faculty and in its administration since 2004. “The president and the board of trustees have worked very hard on a plan of transition that allows everything to continue as smoothly as possible for all of the many interests of the university,” says Dr. Stiefel. “It’s an honor to be asked to serve the institution, especially as an alumnus. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to work with Dr. Winterstein. I’ve been in the fortunate position of being able to work with and learn from someone who has been a president for 26 years. That in itself is a rare occurrence. I look forward to his continued involvement as President Emeritus as part of the long-term transition process.”