POLICY 1.1 - History
Shenandoah University was founded by private interests at Dayton, Virginia, in 1875. The first charter was granted in 1884. At that time the school had ties to the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, which in 1946 joined with the Evangelical Church to become the Evangelical United Brethren Church. In 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.
Originally known as Shenandoah Seminary and concentrating on secondary education, the school later added post-secondary courses and changed its name to Shenandoah Collegiate Institute and School of Music. In 1924, the name was changed to Shenandoah College, with the provision that the music department be known as the Conservatory of Music at Shenandoah College. In 1937, the Conservatory received state approval to grant baccalaureate degrees. In 1960, Shenandoah was moved from Dayton to a new campus in Winchester, Virginia.
Two significant events occurred in 1974. First, junior-college status was dropped, and the college became a four-year degree-granting school. Second, the two separate institutions (Shenandoah College, Shenandoah Conservatory of Music) were merged under one charter as Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music.
In 1991, the name of the institution was changed to Shenandoah University. In 1994, the Board of Trustees gave approval to begin development of the first doctoral degrees, in Pharmacy and in Music.
Shenandoah is incorporated as a non-profit institution, with the corporation electing the Board of Trustees, which is the ruling body.
Revision Dates: structural revision approved by Board of Trustees Oct. 2007; Revised Fall 2016
Approved by the Board of Trustees October, 2003
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