1945 • • •
James Arnold Davis is born on April 18 in Marion, Va. He graduates from Sugar Grove High School in 1963.

1967 • • •
Davis earns his Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Randolph-Macon College.

1968 • • •
Davis begins his professional career as assistant professor of history at Ferrum College in Virginia.

1969 • • •
Davis earns his Master of Arts degree in History from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

1971 • • •
Davis becomes associate professor and chair of the social science division at Ferrum College.

1972 • • •
Davis earns his Doctor of Philosophy degree in College Administration from Florida State University and becomes academic dean at Ferrum College.

1976 • • •
Dr. Davis becomes dean at Ferrum College.

1978 • • •
James A. Davis wins special election to the Virginia General Assembly’s House of Delegates. He is re-elected in 1979 and 1981.

1980 • • •
Dr. Davis becomes senior vice president and dean at Ferrum College.

1982 • • •
Dr. James A. Davis is named Shenandoah’s 15th president; he takes office July 1. The institution – Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music – has 874 students and 14 buildings on 45 acres of land.

Shenandoah offers 11 undergraduate programs and two graduate programs (music and business).

1983 • • •
The official inauguration for President Davis is held on April 9.
Special guests include former Shenandoah presidents Wade S. Miller, Troy R. Brady, Forrest S. Racey and outgoing president Robert Parker.

Shenandoah acquires the John Kerr Building in downtown Winchester for just $10 and then begins an $850,000 restoration project to save the c. 1883 structure. The building serves as the new home for the Allied Health program and the Gallagher Community Arts Center.

The business school is named the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business to honor Senator Byrd, who is also a distinguished professor in the school.

Shenandoah purchases an additional 18 acres of land east of I-81.

Gore Hall, a 60-bed residence hall, is constructed and opened.

Construction begins to enlarge the dining hall.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, the only professional musical theatre in the Shenandoah Valley, opens its inaugural season with “Shenandoah.”

1985 • • •
The cafeteria on main campus is renamed the Allen Dining Hall.

1987 • • •
The successful $10 million Campaign for Shenandoah concludes well ahead of schedule.

Dorothy Ewing Studio of Dance is constructed adjacent to Shingleton Gymnasium.

Construction begins on Mary M. Henkel Hall.

School of Nursing is renamed the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing.

1988 • • •
Mary H. Henkel Hall – home of the Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business – is dedicated.

Enrollment hits 1,000 students for first time.

1989 • • •
Shenandoah begins program planning for a master’s program in Physical Therapy.

1990 • • •
Shenandoah opens a Northern Virginia Campus facility in Leesburg, offering degree and non-degree programs for adult students.

Wilkins Building is expanded; new addition on north end houses offices for admissions, financial aid, business and the president.

1991 • • •
Shenandoah College and Conservatory becomes Shenandoah University on Jan. 1.

Shenandoah moves from the Eastern States Athletic Conference to the Dixie Conference (now USA South Conference). The university becomes associates in the conference in 1992 and full-time in 1993.

McCormick Civil War Institute and the Blue Ridge Institute for Environmental Studies are formed.

Construction begins on Harry Aikens Field behind Parker Hall, requiring tons of fill dirt.

1992 • • •
Shenandoah University registers its Internet domain name, www.su.edu.

Alson H. Smith Jr. Library is dedicated in September.

University physical therapy program is accredited.

Durell Institute of Monetary Science begins operations in the Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business. (Durell Institute is later relocated to the Alson H. Smith Jr. Library.)

Athletics adds men’s lacrosse; the team plays its first game in 1993.

1993 • • •
Shenandoah buys the C&P Telephone substation building on Millwood Avenue and uses it as the conservatory’s costume shop.

University admits the first students into its occupational therapy program. First class of physical therapy students graduate.

The Lin Rong-San Institute for Journalism is formed.

1994 • • •
The Durrell Foundation awards the university’s Durell Institute of Monetary Science a $4 million 10-year grant.

The Center for Organizational Excellence is formed.

Shenandoah University’s newspaper – The SUN – is established and begins weekly publication.

Athletics adds women’s lacrosse; the team plays its first game in 1995.

1995 • • •
SU is approved to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Education degrees.

SU adds program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
Athletics adds cross country for men and women.

1996 • • •
The Health Professions Building, leased by Shenandoah, opens on the campus of the Winchester Medical Center. It is home to SU’s nursing, respiratory care and pharmacy programs.

Shenandoah admits its first class of doctoral pharmacy students – 63 in all.

Construction begins on new building and theatre for Shenandoah Conservatory.

Working out of space in Handley High School, WCT cable television debuts on Feb. 14. WCT is a partnership between Shenandoah University, the City of Winchester and the Winchester Public Schools.

The Chaplain’s Office organizes the first Spring Break Mission Trip.

1997 • • •
Shenandoah’s James L. Bowman Building, a former bank located on the north end of the Loudoun Street walking mall, is dedicated.

The John O. Marsh Institute for Government and Public Policy is founded and is housed in the Alson H. Smith Jr. Library.

Shenandoah announces new Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education programs.

1998 • • •
Ruebush Hall and the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre are dedicated as Shenandoah Conservatory’s hub for vocal music and theatre program.

The school of pharmacy at the site of the Winchester Medical Center, is renamed the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. Dr. and Mrs. Bernard J. Dunn Jr. give Shenandoah the largest single gift in its history – $10 million. The school’s name honors Dr. Dunn’s father.

Enrollment surpasses 2,000 students for the first time ever.

1999 • • •
Shenandoah University purchases a commercial motel adjacent to main campus and converts it into a new 206-bed residence hall, the University Inn.

Shenandoah’s Northern Virginia Campus, which began with business classes in the 1990 and expanded into other graduate-level areas, moves into the old hospital building in Leesburg.

WCT is moved to Shenandoah University’s new Television Center on Millwood Avenue.

Shenandoah adds football to its roster of intercollegiate teams; the Hornets play their first game the following year.

2000 • • •
The Hornets finish their first football season 4-6, ranking them number one among four new NCAA Division III football programs in 2006.

The university breaks ground in Loudoun County for its new Northern Virginia Campus facility, and it breaks ground for its new football stadium on main campus.

The university dedicates its Aikens Athletic Center field house.

Shenandoah announces new Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance program.

Shenandoah announces new Doctor of Education: Administrative Leadership program.

2001 • • •
Shenandoah admits students for two new master’s programs in the School of Health Professions: Athletic Training and Physician Assistant Studies. The Physician Assistant Studies program is housed in the Winchester Medical Center’s Medical Office Building II.

The Hornets open their second football season in the university’s new Shentel Stadium. The $750,000 naming-rights agreement with Edinburgh, Va.-based Shenandoah Telecommunications Company is the first of its kind in NCAA Division III. The Hornets won their first game in Shentel, 37-6.

The university dedicates its new Northern Virginia Campus facility on Route 7 east of Leesburg, Va. The campus delivers programs in business, nursing, teacher education and technology.

Continuing Education establishes the College for Lifelong Learning.

Shenandoah launches the Willa Cather Institute to support the development of academic programs for students, public lectures and discussions devoted to Cather’s work.

Emergency telephones are installed across main campus, completing the President’ Seven-Point Safety Plan, which was drafted in 2000.

2002 • • •
Shenandoah welcomes first class in new Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Shenandoah acquires the Fairfax-Cameron Building on Cameron Street in downtown Winchester, a press box is added to the Shentel Stadium facility.

Continuing Education becomes the School of Continuing Education.
The Wilkins Administration Building gets a new brick façade.

The five original residence halls – Racey, Cooley, Parker, Gore and Funkhouser – are retrofitted with sprinkler systems.

Shenandoah University receives a $1.3 million unrestricted gift of commercial property in Martinsburg, W.Va., from the Schmidt Baking Company, Inc., of Baltimore, Md.

2003 • • •
School of Arts & Sciences is renamed the College of Arts & Sciences.

First class graduates in Athletic Training master’s program.

The History and Tourism Center at Shenandoah University (The Knowledge Point) celebrates its opening in April at its Fairfax Cameron Building location in downtown Winchester.

Shenandoah establishes a Mathematics Learning Center for pre- and in-service high school teachers.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre celebrates 20 years of musical theatre.

The first class of Physician Assistant Studies students graduates in December.

University buys the Millwood Avenue Fire & Rescue Squad building. When the rescue company moves to its new facility, Shenandoah will construct a new building for the Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business.

2004 • • •
Both the Physician Assistant Studies program and the Doctor of Education in Administrative Leadership program graduate their first classes.

Shenandoah’s enrollment hits 3,000 for the first time.

Shenandoah announces its unique Global Citizenship Project (GCP), which sends 60 members of the campus community to destinations around the world over spring break – all expenses paid by the university. Individuals write essays stating why they would like to travel abroad, a committee selects the best, and then announce travel destinations.

2005 • • •
Over spring break, the first Global Citizenship Project participants head to Taiwan, Mali, India, Costa Rica and the Netherlands.

Construction renovations begin on the Wilkins Administration Building to install new heating and air condition systems and upgrade administrative office space.

Shenandoah University and The George Washington University collaborate to launch unique program in pharmacogenomics, the study of how genetics affect a body’s response to prescription medications.

Shenandoah breaks ground for the History and Tourism Center, a history, tourism and scholarly research facility located near Abrams Delight Museum on South Pleasant Valley.

Shenandoah graduates its first doctoral class in Physical Therapy.

In the fall, Shenandoah University approves its new mission statement, which includes six core values that provide a foundation for the decisions it makes and the programs it offers.

2006 • • •
The Institute for Church Professions is formed to cultivate and nurture new leaders for the church, and the Institute for Entrepreneurship is formed to encourage young entrepreneurs.

The university breaks ground for a 273-space parking garage (which opened in August), a new business school facility, an end-zone building at Shentel Stadium, a new student center, an expanded Television Center and a pedestrian bridge over Abrams Creek on main campus.

The Edwards Residential Village – formerly the Quality Inn – is dedicated. The new 158-bed residence hall is named in honor of H. Robert Edwards and his wife Betty for their many years of service and support of Shenandoah University.

The Kathryn Perry Werner End-Zone Building is dedicated at Shentel Stadium.

Shenandoah’s athletic department adds men’s and women’s track and field.

The Romine Living Center – formerly the Holiday Inn Executive Center –is dedicated. The new 48-bed residence hall is named in honor of former trustee George L. Romine.

Shenandoah University breaks ground for the Brandt Student Center on main campus.

The university now owns 123 acres – considerably more than the 45 acres when Dr. Davis arrived in 1982.

2007 • • •
The Vickers Communication Center – an expanded television center on Millwood Avenue – is dedicated. The facility is home to both WCT (Shenandoah’s cable television station) and TV3 Winchester (an ABC affiliate).

Shenandoah University earns initial AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International accreditation for its business program.

The Dayton Bridge, funded in large part by alumni from Shenandoah’s Dayton, Va., era, is dedicated on main campus. The bridge spans Abrams Creek between Smith Library and Ruebush Hall.

School of Continuing Education becomes School of Education and Human Development.

Dr. James A. Davis publishes his book, “Rules of Civility for a Modern Society.”

President Davis announces he will retire June 30, 2008, after 26 years at Shenandoah University, and the board of trustees announces its selection for his successor. Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons, Shenandoah’s current senior vice president & vice president for academic affairs, becomes the university’s 16th president and first female president on July 1, 2008.