150 Years: A Sesquicentennial Celebration
For 150 years, Shenandoah University has been a cornerstone of higher education in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Founded on February 12, 1875, in Dayton, Virginia, Shenandoah took a bold step in 1960 by relocating 75 miles north to Winchester, at the top of Virginia, enabling it to grow and thrive.
Throughout a century and a half, Shenandoah has remained committed to providing innovative, high-quality, student-focused education with the community at the heart of everything it does.
Join all of us at the university as we honor our past and embrace our future.
Sesquicentennial Events
Celebrate 150 years of tradition, innovation, and community with us at Shenandoah! From events that honor our past to those that envision our future.
January 1, 2025
London New Year’s Parade
February 12, 2025
Founders’ Day
March 2025
Global Citizenship Project 20th Anniversary
March 28-29, 2025
Dayton Alumni Reunion
April 6, 2025
Athletic Hall of Fame
April 24-25, 2025
Day of Giving
May 3-4, 2025
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
May 24, 2025
University Commencement
Summer 2025
Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre
August 27, 2025
New Student Convocation
September 13, 2025
Sesquicentennial Gala
October 24-26, 2025
Homecoming
December 11-12, 2025
Holiday Gala
February 12, 2026
Founders’ Day
May 23, 2026
University Commencement
Community support has been essential to Shenandoah’s 150 years of excellence.
Your gift today will help shape the next 150.
Then And Now
Movement & Growth
Always moving forward
Shenandoah has always welcomed change. Since establishing itself in Winchester in 1960, it has consistently added to its footprint by building and renovating spaces on main campus, as well as expanding into downtown Winchester, the campus of Winchester Medical Center, Loudoun County, and Clarke County, Virginia.
Funkhouser to Fitzsimmons
Presidents set the tone
From the moment A.P. Funkhouser established the school that would one day become Shenandoah, it was clear that Shenandoah’s leaders would define its trajectory. This illustrious list includes presidents such as Dr. Forrest S. Racey, who oversaw Shenandoah’s move from Dayton to Winchester; Dr. James A. Davis, during whose tenure Shenandoah became a university; and Shenandoah’s current president, Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons, who has guided the university’s consistent growth. She is also the first woman to serve as the university’s president.
Longest- Serving Faculty Member
Teaching history while making history
Professor of History Warren Hofstra, Ph.D., joined Shenandoah in 1977, and today, he’s engaged in the cutting edge of his field, helping to develop projects like “The Great Experiment,” a virtual reality experience that allows users to step into the Electoral College debates of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
Nursing: Healthy Developments
Decades of care and growth
In 1962, Shenandoah took over the Winchester Hospital’s School of Nursing, which offered an associate’s degree. (The top photo is from the 1980s.) Since those early days, Shenandoah’s nursing program has seen extraordinary growth: its entry-level degree is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and the school offers an array of master’s and doctoral programs in advanced practice nursing, including Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Nurse-Midwifery. The program also includes an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field.
The Wilkins Building: An Evolving Space at the Heart of Campus
Wilkins Administration Building sports different looks over the years
The Wilkins Administration Building began its life within the first decade of Shenandoah’s relocation to Winchester as a student center. In 1990, north end addition brought with it office space for admissions, financial aid, business and the president. The brick facade was completed in 2002, and by 2006, Brandt Student Center, located near Wilkins, opened on main campus.
Lasting Musical Traditions
Music has been part of Shenandoah from its earliest years
Adding James H. Ruebush to the staff in 1887 (the same year as the top photo) stimulated the growth of a strong music tradition at Shenandoah, which remains to this day, with a variety of music program offerings, ranging from performance and music education to music therapy and varied music technologies. Performing groups are also integral to the Shenandoah experience.
Buzzy Gets a Makeover
Our mascot as hero
Shenandoah’s mascot, Buzzy D. Hornet has had many different faces and designs over the years, with his most recent makeover in 2015, with a few tweaks here and there since. The top photo is Buzzy in 2003, while the bottom photo is today’s Buzzy, who can be seen spreading Shenandoah spirit at campus and community events all year long.
Baseball Hits Home Runs
Team is an ODAC powerhouse
While baseball has long been part of the Shenandoah athletics scene (see the top photo from 1922), the team has been able to shine in the modern era, winning Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships in 2015, 2018, 2019 (bottom photo) and 2022. In 2009, before joining the ODAC, the team made its first trip to the NCAA Division III World Series. The team also has a permanent home at Bridgeforth Stadium in Jim Barnett Park, adjacent to Shenandoah’s main campus.
