Shenandoah University Receives Milestone Gifts From Wilkins Family To Expand Athletics Center

Shenandoah University is proud to announce transformative gifts from Jimmy and Roni Wilkins, Richie and Cara Wilkins, and the James R. Wilkins Charitable Trust that will fund an expansion of the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics & Events Center.

The expansion of Shenandoah’s 77,000-square-foot venue, which opened in 2018 and is the premier facility for Shenandoah Athletics, will include the construction of a dedicated locker room for the university’s football program as well as additional locker room space for the track and field, and cross country programs. This expansion, for which construction is slated to begin in Fall 2026, is the first in a series of upgrades planned for the Wilkins Athletics and Events Center and Aikens Athletic Center to enhance the student-athlete experience at Shenandoah University.

Shenandoah announced the gift during a celebration in the Wilkins Athletics and Events Center on April 28.

“We talk about being elite, but this is how we become that,” said DeShon Foxx, Ph.D., Shenandoah University’s assistant vice president for student affairs and director of athletics. “The Wilkins family, every step of the way, has been instrumental in providing Shenandoah University and the athletics department with the resources and the facilities that we need to be where we are today. We talk often that we want to be national power contenders, not regional. We want to compete for the highest level of success. And thanks to the Wilkins family, we are able to do that, and our student-athletes feel the unbelievable support.”

The Wilkins Athletics and Events Center is the home facility for Shenandoah’s basketball, volleyball, indoor track and field, and wrestling programs, though the building serves as a hub for all 23 of the university’s intercollegiate sports. 

The football program, which lacks a centralized home, has its primary locker room in Aikens Athletic Center, which is located a quarter of a mile from Glo Fiber Field at Shentel Stadium. The expansion of the WAEC will give the football team a new locker room located right next to Shentel Stadium.

As additional funds are raised, a future phase of WAEC expansion includes a state-of-the-art weight room; enhanced sports medicine and training areas; renovated and additional locker rooms for baseball, softball, basketball, and men’s volleyball; a student athlete lounge; meeting rooms and development spaces; coaches offices; a conference room; and multimedia space.

With additional funding, further expansion of the WAEC will also create the opportunity to upgrade Aikens Athletic Center to include permanent, year-round locker rooms for women’s lacrosse and field hockey; a dedicated home for the marching band, including lounge and storage space; consolidated coaches offices to bring athletics operations under one roof; a Hall of Fame and recruiting suite that tells the story of Shenandoah excellence; and expanded academic, meeting, and team support spaces.

Upgrades to both facilities will also position the university to explore new sport offerings.

“Because of the Wilkins family, each of our teams and Shenandoah University as a whole is stronger, more visible and more connected than ever before. And today, we are at another defining moment,” said Shenandoah University President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. “Thank you to the Wilkins family for your unwavering belief in Shenandoah and your unwavering support for us. Because of you, Shenandoah’s future is bright. Because of supporters like the Wilkins family, Shenandoah and its students continue to have extraordinary opportunities that are bigger and better with every passing year.”

The Wilkins family and Shenandoah University have been intertwined for over six decades. James R. Wilkins, Sr. was integral to Shenandoah’s move to Winchester in 1960 and served as chair of the university’s Board of Trustees for nearly 30 years. His son, James R. “Jimmy” Wilkins, Jr., also served a stint as chair of the board in the early 2000s, and James R. “Richie” Wilkins, III, is serving his first year as board chair. The Wilkins family has also provided tremendous support for various university initiatives through contributions from individual family members and the James R. Wilkins Charitable Trust.

“We’re so impressed with everything that Shenandoah University has accomplished. For over 40 years, we’ve had two amazing presidents who have taken the school from about 500 students when Jim Davis arrived at Shenandoah to maybe hitting 5,000 students next year,” Richie Wilkins said. “It’s incredible what that’s done to boost our community and the opportunity it’s given to the students here, but also the education and opportunities it offers businesses and their employees. SU has enhanced our whole community.”