Shenandoah University

Infobox University
name = Shenandoah University

|150px|thumb|center
motto = Yes you can!
established = 1875
type = Private
president = Tracy Fitzsimmons
city = Winchester
state = VA
country = USA
campus = Small city
undergrad = 1,606
nickname = The Hornets
endowment = $46,521,236
colors = Red and Blue color box|red color box|blue
website = [http://www.su.edu www.su.edu] |

Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level VI private university with an enrollment of approximately 3,400 students in more than 80 programs. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Winchester, Virginia.

US News and World Report's 2008 Best Colleges and Universities ranked Shenandoah University 41st in the South (Master's) category.

History

The university was founded as Shenandoah Seminary in 1875 in Dayton, Virginia by Dr. Abraham Paul Funkhouser and Professor Jay Newton Fries. 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. Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music moved to its current 75 acre (305,000 m²) Winchester campus in 1960 and began offering four-year degrees in 1974 (at which time the college and conservatory corporations were merged). Having obtained university status on January 1, 1991, today the Shenandoah student body represents 46 U.S. states while the student and faculty body combined represents 73 countries.

Location

The university operates on three primary campuses. Two are in Winchester: the main campus located near Interstate 81, and the Health Professions campus located near the Winchester Medical Center. The third, the Northern Virginia Campus, is located in Leesburg, Virginia. There are also a number of satellite offices and facilities located throughout Winchester.

Athletics

The Shenandoah University Department of Athletics currently sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports, 10 for men and 10 for women. Men's sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Lacrosse, Tennis, Golf, Soccer and Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field. Women: Soccer, Softball, Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, Volleyball and Tennis. All teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III and the department holds membership in the USA South, Colonial States (men's lacrosse) and Middle Atlantic (field hockey, indoor and outdoor track & field) conferences. In the Spring of 2008, the women's softball team captured the first ever USA South Conference championship in school history, finishing with a record of 30-12 (15-3 in conference).

Currently

Shenandoah is currently undergoing significant expansion, as evidenced by new construction projects such as Halpin-Harrison Hall, the new home of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, the Brandt Student Center, the History and Tourism Center, and the forthcoming construction of new administrative offices on the site now housing the Virginia National Guard. More construction, as well, is expected to take place in the coming years around the east campus near Shentel Stadium. This growth parallels increasing recognition on the academic front, notably in the aforementioned US News & World Report Best Colleges and Universities edition.

Shenandoah University has partner institution memorandum of understanding agreements with 36 international colleges and universities. One such partner institution is the Ulyanovsk State University in Russia. Shenandoah University 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.

chools & Programs

The university offers over 80 programs at associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral level in six schools:

* College of Arts and Sciences
* Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business
* Shenandoah Conservatory
* School of Health Professions
* Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy
* School of Education & Human Development

Trivia

* A 2005 survey conducted by Intel ranked Shenandoah University 56th in its top 100 "Most Unwired Colleges" list, just behind Bucknell University and ahead of such prestigious universities as Cornell and Harvard. The ranking measures accessibility for broadband and wireless Internet. [http://www.univjobs.com/wirelesscolleges2.html]
* According to the university's official history page, the name Shenandoah is derived from the Native American legend of Zynodoa, a brave whose life of strength and courage and his appreciation of beauty resulted in having a river and a valley named for him.

External links

* [http://www.su.edu Official Site]
* [http://www.su.edu/conservatory/ Shenandoah Conservatory]
* [http://www.su.edu/marsh/ Institute for Government & Public Service]
* [http://www.su.edu/htc/ The Knowledge Point - Shenandoah University History and Tourism Center]
* [http://www.ecampustours.com/VirtualTours/Default.aspx?FafsaCode=003737&login=false Virtual Campus Tour]
* [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3737_brief.php US News Profile]