Professional Development and Community Programs

Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy (SCAA)

Jennifer Green-Flint, Director
John Kerr Building, (540) 665-4602

Purpose and Mission Statement

The Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy (SCAA) was founded in 1977 with two piano teachers to provide enrichment opportunities in the fine arts for area students of all ages. Today, SCAA has over 80 faculty members of professionally trained musicians, dancers, artists and educators with many faculty members serving on both the Shenandoah University Conservatory faculty and the faculty of SCAA. The student body of SCAA includes over 1,100 students weekly. Instruction serves two purposes; community introduction and outreach in the arts for students of all levels and ages who may not have art instruction as part of their K-12 education, or desire to learn recreationally, as well as serving students who have a desire to pursue the performing arts in a conservatory collegiate environment.

Central to the SCAA mission is developing the next generation of performers, arts educators, arts patrons and audience members. Many SCAA students begin classes or lessons at the Arts Academy as young children and remain active students until they graduate from high school. The Arts Academy is an avenue for adult learners as well, whether they are re-visiting an instrument from their past, or exploring one for the first time.

SCAA offerings during the academic year (September- May) meet weekly in dance, theater, fencing, fitness, choirs, youth and chamber orchestras and early childhood music classes. The Academy also offers applied instrumental and vocal instruction in over 35 instruments. The Early Childhood Music program fosters a love of arts and music instruction for the Academy’s youngest learners, beginning as early as infants. Summer instruction (June- August) focuses on dance and theater intensives as well as light-hearted musical exploration classes designed for all learners with a passion for the arts. Performing opportunities on the campus of Shenandoah University and in the community are numerous.

Learn more about the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy by visiting the website at scartsacademy.org or by visiting our facility at 203 South Cameron Street in downtown Winchester.

Intensive English as a Second Language (IESL) Program

Dr. Steven Humphries, Director of Intensive ESL Program and Associate Professor, TESOL Cooley Hall, Room 115, (540) 535-3574, shumphri@su.edu

The Shenandoah University Intensive English as a Second Language program offers rigorous academic instruction in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar-in-use to intermediate and advanced nonnative speakers of English. Students who meet the minimum language proficiency requirements (see below) may take one or more of the following courses: reading, writing, oral communication, or grammar-in-use.

IESL employs highly qualified instructors and the latest in innovative technologies and teaching methods to ensure that students’ experiences are productive and pleasant. At IESL you will learn English and make friends that will last a lifetime.

Who May Apply/How It Works

Admission to IESL is open to nonnative English speaking students age 18 and older with minimum scores of 45 on iBT (Internet TOEFL), 450 on Paper TOEFL, or 5.0 on IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Priority will be given to those who study full time.

Courses are taught at the intermediate and advanced levels only and are not credit bearing. To best tailor instruction to individual needs, IESL administers placement exams to determine students’ English proficiency levels in the courses they choose.

Classes meet five days per week for 50 minutes each. Skill classes run concurrently so that students can take from one to four classes, depending on availability.

Our Curriculum

IESL offers 15-week sessions each fall and spring semester and an eight-week session each summer. Classes meet five days each week, from 10 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m.

Our Teachers

All IESL instructors have advanced degrees in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language or a closely related field, and many years’ experience teaching in the United States and around the world.

For more information, please see our website at www.su.edu/esl. You may also direct questions to Dr. Steven Humphries at shumphri@su.edu. We look forward to welcoming you to the great experience that is Shenandoah University IESL!

The Center for Civic Engagement

Keith Jones Pomeroy, Director 
Brandt Student Center Room 119, 540-665-4862 ; kjonespo@su.edu; serve@su.edu 

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Center for Civic Engagement is to prepare students to participate in a just and democratic society by providing experiences in service-learning, civic dialogue, and community engagement inside and outside the classroom through mutually beneficial partnerships that inspire responsibility towards a community, nation, and world.

Purpose:

The Center for Civic Engagement supports the entire Shenandoah University community by furthering its commitment to prepare students and the broader community to become active, informed citizens. We organize and promote community and volunteer engagement, dialogues across difference, and public scholarship.

The Center develops student leaders who are looking to make responsible contributions in their communities. It also serves as a resource for faculty, staff, and community members for the integration of community-engaged teaching, research, and service-learning. It also supports mutually-beneficial partnership with community organizations to advance positive change. 

For more information, please visit our website at www.su.edu/service

Office of Education Outreach

Dennis L. Keffer, Director
Bowman Building, School of Education and Leadership
(540) 535-3544 or (540) 535-3552

The Office of Education Outreach is a department within Shenandoah University’s School of Education and Leadership which provides professional and licensure courses approved by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for teacher licensure and recertification. A variety of licensure and recertification courses are available via distance learning each trimester.

School Development and Partnerships

OEO is able to offer individualized courses for school districts to meet specific needs the district may have. School divisions may also contract with OEO to arrange sponsored sections.

Teachers for Tomorrow — EDU 201

Advanced Academic Dual Enrollment

Four Hours of Undergraduate Credit

OEO also offers the Teachers for Tomorrow Dual Credit program to high schools participating in the “Grow Your Own” program. This program is designed to attract teacher candidates from high school to the field of education through exposure to a world-class curriculum and hands-on experiences that focus on teaching.

This course is offered to high school seniors through the dual enrollment process. Students are awarded four hours of undergraduate credit upon successful completion of the program. In keeping with the challenge to increase the pool of highly qualified teachers, the purposes of the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Program are:

• to identify, train and nurture high school students interested in a teaching career;
• to support the efforts of Virginia’s school divisions to meet hiring targets by cultivating an effective “grow your own” recruitment program;
• to create a high school curricular experience designed to foster student interest, understanding and appreciation of the teaching profession; and
• to attract students to teaching in critical shortage and high needs areas of the state.

For information on either individualized courses or greater details of the Teachers for Tomorrow program, please contact the Director of the Office of Education Outreach.

Shenandoah University Youth Theological Institute (SUYTI)

Rev. Colleen Preuninger, Director of the SUYTI
Institute for Church Professions
Goodson Chapel, Room 5, (540) 665-5453, cpreunin@su.edu

Purpose and Mission

The purpose of the Shenandoah University Youth Theology Institute (SUYTI) is to educate and inspire young Christian leaders through dialogical, immersive, and experimental learning in intentional community, both in urban and rural settings, to empower the leaders to discern their vocation in the midst of a changing world.

Program Description

SUYTI is an intensive two-week institute designed to help high school students become better leaders in their local congregations through deep and thought-provoking experiences. Throughout the two weeks of the institute, daily rhythms of academic study and religious reflection will be balanced with immersive experiences. Students will be exposed to different faith traditions, service opportunities, and a mixture of rural, wilderness and urban contexts at Shenandoah’s Winchester campus, Shenandoah’s River Campus at Cool Spring, and Wesley Theological Seminary’s campus in Washington D.C.

Goals

• Engage students in a dialogical learning process by developing critical thinking skills for theological reflection to create responses to contemporary justice issues.
• Immerse students in experiences that create opportunities for engagement with multiple perspectives.
• Students will develop, grow, and learn as leaders through experimentation, vocational discernment, and self-reflection.

Curriculum

SUYTI constitutes an intensive 3-credit undergraduate course (FSJ 105), taught by engaging religion faculty and focused on exploring Christian vocation in the 21st century. Upon successful completion of SUYTI, students will receive credit for the course at Shenandoah University.

FSJ 105 Christianity in the 21st Century

This course combines academic study, immersive learning and experimental practice with reflective classroom dialogue to explore contemporary issues of Christian faith and practice. The course will examine how contemporary issues such as pluralism, sustainability and diversity shape Christian communities and invite students to develop resources for their communities to respond to these important issues. This course will only be offered through the Shenandoah University Youth Theology Institute. Three credits.