Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University
Former names	Shenandoah Seminary (1875–1925); Shenandoah College (1925–1991); Shenandoah Conservatory (separate institution 1937–1974);
Motto	The Big Little University Rising
Type	Private
Established	1875; 149 years ago
Religious affiliation	United Methodist Church
Endowment	$68.4 million (2020)
President	Tracy Fitzsimmons
Undergraduates	2,267
Location	Winchester, Virginia, United States; 39°09′58″N 78°09′29″W / 39.166°N 78.158°W
Campus	Small city
Colors	Red and blue
Nickname	Hornets
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III
Website	su.edu
	Location in Shenandoah Valley Location in Virginia Location in United States

Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and Leadership and the Division of Applied Technology), School of Business, Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing, and the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy). Shenandoah University is one of five United Methodist Church-affiliated institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia.^[3]

History

Rev. Abram Paul Funkhouser and Rev. John (Jay) Paul Fries founded the school as Shenandoah Seminary in 1875. At the time, it was located on a 10-acre campus in Dayton, Virginia, and classes were initially held in a two-room lo structure.^[4]^[5] The school had 11 students enrolled in its first year.^[5]

Shenandoah Seminary became a junior college in 1924, changing its name to Shenandoah College the following year. Shenandoah Conservatory became a separate corporation in 1937 and began granting four-year degrees.

In 1960, Shenandoah College and the Shenandoah Conservatory moved to the 126-acre Winchester campus and began offering four-year degrees in 1974 (at which time the college and conservatory corporations were merged). It sold its Dayton campus for $107,875.^[6]

Shenandoah obtained university status on January 1, 1991, and today the student body represents 47 states plus the District of Columbia. The university, as of fall 2021, has 252 full-time and 202 part-time faculty members. The student body represents 48 foreign countries. Over 70 percent of full-time faculty have an earned doctorate (Ph.D. or similar) in their fields or other terminal degree.

Name

According to the university's official history page, the name Shenandoah is derived from the Native American legend of Zynodoa, a brave warrior whose life of strength and courage and his appreciation of beauty resulted in having a river and a valley named for him. Popular myth further ascribes translation of the word "Shenandoah" to mean "daughter of the stars."^[7]

Locations

The university operates in six locations:

Winchester
Downtown Winchester
Health Professions Building on the campus of Winchester Medical Center
Shenandoah River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield
Scholar Plaza, Loudoun
Inova Center for Personalized Health, Fairfax

The main location of campus is in Winchester near Interstate 81, and the Health Professions Building is located near the Winchester Medical Center. The Scholar Plaza, Loudoun, site in Ashburn, Virginia, is home to graduate programs in business, education, leadership studies, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant studies, as well as the accelerated-second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Shenandoah's educational site at the Inova Center for Personalized Health in Fairfax, Virginia, is the location for doctoral-level programs in pharmacy. ICPH, Fairfax, is also where the university offers graduate programs and postgraduate certificates in nursing and supports an online master's degree in public health. There are also a number of satellite offices and facilities located throughout Winchester.

In 2013, Shenandoah University accepted stewardship of 195 acres of land along the Shenandoah River, now known as the Shenandoah River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield. Purchased by the Civil War Trust in 2012, stewardship of the property transferred to the university in spring 2013 to protect and preserve the former battlefield site. The property now serves as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory for the university community and the general public.

Academics

Shenandoah offers more than 200 areas of study at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral-degree levels, as well as through undergraduate and graduate certificates, across six schools. Its programming includes Virginia's first bachelor's degrees in virtual reality design and esports management, as well as the state's oldest music therapy program (offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels).

College of Arts & Sciences
School of Business
Shenandoah Conservatory
Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy
Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing
School of Health Professions

Shenandoah University no longer offers a tenure track for new faculty members. Instead, new faculty members undergo a 5-year probationary period, after which they are eligible for 3-year, renewable "career faculty contracts."^[8]

Athletics

The Shenandoah athletic teams are called the Hornets. The university is a member of the Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) since the 2012–13 academic year. The Hornets previously competed in the USA South Athletic Conference (USA South) from 1992–93 to 2011–12.

Shenandoah competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

The university announced the creation of a Marching Band in June 2021, which debuted during the Fall 2022 semester.^[9]

Partnership relations

Shenandoah University has agreements with many international colleges and universities, and also participates in the British Council's Business Education Initiative and Irish-American Scholars program in conjunction with universities and colleges in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

Notable alumni

Kate Flannery, actress, played Meredith Palmer (2005–2013) in the television comedy The Office^[10]
Harold Perrineau, actor, played Link in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions
Carter Beauford, American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band
Tiffany Lawrence, a former Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 65th district.
Wendy Gooditis, an American real estate agent, educator, and Democratic politician.
Carl Tanner, an American operatic tenor
Richard Zarou, a contemporary composer of concert and film music and the host of the new music podcast No Extra Notes
Mac Wiseman, Bluegrass music legend

References

^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
^ https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/shenandoah-university-3737 ^{[bare URL]}
^ "About Us – Shenandoah University". Retrieved 21 March 2018.
^ "Shenandoah College Will Sell Old Campus". Associated Press. The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia). May 15, 1960. p. 2D.
^ ^a ^b "A College Moves 70 Miles". The Daily News Leader (Staunton, Virginia). November 17, 1960. p. 4.
^ "College Campus, Buildings Sold for $107,875". Associated Press. The Bee (Danville, Virginia). p. 1-D.
^ Julia Davis, "The Shenandoah", Rivers of America, New York: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1945, pp. 20–21
^ Shenandoah University Faculty Handbook – Section 4.7 Types of Contract
^ "Marching Band". Shenandoah University. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ "One on One with Kate Flannery".

External links

[1] As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.

[auto-2] ttps://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/shenandoah-university-3737 ^{[bare URL]}

[3] "About Us – Shenandoah University". Retrieved 21 March 2018.

[willsell-4] "Shenandoah College Will Sell Old Campus". Associated Press. The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia). May 15, 1960. p. 2D.

[70miles-5] "A College Moves 70 Miles". The Daily News Leader (Staunton, Virginia). November 17, 1960. p. 4.

[6] "College Campus, Buildings Sold for $107,875". Associated Press. The Bee (Danville, Virginia). p. 1-D.

[7] Julia Davis, "The Shenandoah", Rivers of America, New York: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1945, pp. 20–21

[8] Shenandoah University Faculty Handbook – Section 4.7 Types of Contract

[9] "Marching Band". Shenandoah University. Retrieved 2022-08-03.

[10] "One on One with Kate Flannery".

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v t e Colleges and universities in Virginia
Public	Christopher Newport University College of William & Mary Eastern Virginia Medical School George Mason University James Madison University Joint Forces Staff College Longwood University Marine Corps University Norfolk State University Old Dominion University Radford University Richard Bland College University of Mary Washington University of Virginia University of Virginia's College at Wise Virginia Commonwealth University VCU School of Dentistry VCU School of Education VCU College of Health Professions Virginia Community College System Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VT-WFU School Biomedical Engineering & Sciences Virginia State University Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Private	Appalachian College of Pharmacy Appalachian School of Law Art Institute of Virginia Beach Atlantic University Averett University Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Bluefield University Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing Bridgewater College Christendom College DeVry University Divine Mercy University Institute for the Psychological Sciences Eastern Mennonite University ECPI University Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Emory and Henry University Fairfax University of America Ferrum College George Washington University Virginia Campus Hampden–Sydney College Hampton University Hartland College Hollins University Jefferson College of Health Sciences John Leland Center for Theological Studies Liberty University University of Lynchburg Mary Baldwin University Marymount University Patrick Henry College Randolph College Randolph–Macon College Regent University Roanoke College Shenandoah University Southern Virginia University Sweet Briar College Union Presbyterian Seminary University of Management and Technology University of the Potomac University of Richmond Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Union University Virginia University of Lynchburg Virginia Wesleyan University Washington and Lee University
Defunct	Art Institute of Washington Blackstone College for Girls Cordoba University Eastern College Elizabeth College Fauquier Institute Frederick College Gibbs College Marion College Richmond Professional Institute Saint Paul's College Stratford University Sullins College University of Northern Virginia Virginia Intermont College Westwood College
Complete list

v t e Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Full members	Averett Cougars Bridgewater Eagles Eastern Mennonite Royals^‡ Ferrum Panthers (leaving in 2025) Guilford Quakers Hampden–Sydney Tigers Hollins University^‡ Lynchburg Hornets^‡ Randolph WildCats^‡ Randolph–Macon Yellow Jackets Roanoke Maroons^‡ Shenandoah Hornets Sweet Briar Vixens^‡ Virginia Wesleyan Marlins^‡ Washington and Lee Generals
Associate members	Greensboro Pride (women's swimming)
^‡ non-football member

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	United States
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