Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a comprehensive private university located in Winchester , Virginia in the United States . It has an enrollment of approximately 3 , 800 students across more than ninety programs in seven schools : College of Arts & Sciences , Harry F . Byrd , Jr . School of Business , Shenandoah Conservatory , Bernard J . Dunn School of Pharmacy , Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing , School of Health Professions ( Athletic Training , Respiratory Care , Occupational Therapy , Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy ) and the School of Education & Human Development . It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church . The " U . S . News and World Report ' s " " 2012 Best Colleges and Universities " listing placed Shenandoah University at 27th ( " Tier 1 " ) in its " Regional Universities ( South ) " category . History . The university was founded as Shenandoah Seminary in 1875 in Dayton , Virginia , by Dr . Abraham Funkhouser and Professor Jay Fries . Shenandoah Seminary became a junior college in 1924 , changing its name to Shenandoah College the following year . Shenandoah Conservatory became a separate corporation in 1937 and began granting four - year degrees . In 1960 , Shenandoah College and the Shenandoah Conservatory moved to the current seventy - five - acre ( 305 , 000 m² ) Winchester campus and began offering four - year degrees in 1974 ( at which time the college and conservatory corporations were merged ) . Having obtained university status on January 1 , 1991 , today the Shenandoah University student body represents forty - six U . S . states while the student body and faculty combined represents seventy - three countries . Locations . The university operates on three primary campuses . Two are in Winchester : the main campus located near Interstate 81 , and the Health Professions campus located near the Winchester Medical Center . The third , the Northern Virginia Campus , is located in Leesburg , Virginia . There are also a number of satellite offices and facilities located throughout Winchester . Schools and Programs . The university offers over eighty programs at bachelor ' s - , master ' s - , and doctoral - degree levels in seven schools : Shenandoah University ' s business school , the Harry F . Byrd , Jr . School of Business , is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business . Athletics . The university ' s Department of Athletics sponsors twenty intercollegiate sports , ten for men and ten for women . Shenandoah ' s men ' s and women ' s teams are known as the Hornets . The men ' s sports are : The women ' s sports are : All teams compete as members of the Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the department holds membership in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference ( ODAC ) . They formerly competed in the USA South Athletic Conference ( USA South ) . In the Spring of 2008 , the women ' s softball team captured its first - ever USA South Athletic Conference championship in school history , finishing with a record of 30 - 12 ( 15 - 3 in conference ) . In the Spring of 2009 , the men ' s baseball team won the USA South Championship and were ranked 6th in the nation by the end of the year . Their No . 6 national ranking is the highest finish ever for any SU athletic team . In Spring 2010 SU baseball won the NCAA USA South Championships for the second year in a row . In the Fall of 2011 , under the coaching of Hall of Fame Inductee ( American University ) , Elizabeth Pike , the women ' s soccer team won the USA South Conference Championship for the first time in school history , with a record of 17 - 2 - 1 . The team also played in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time . Campus expansion . Shenandoah has recently undergone significant expansion , as evidenced by the new facilities such as Halpin - Harrison Hall , the new home of the AACSB Accredited Harry F . Byrd , Jr . School of Business , the Brandt Student Center , the History and Tourism Center , and the forthcoming construction of new administrative offices on the site now housing the Virginia National Guard . More construction is expected to take place in the coming years around the east campus near Shentel Stadium . This growth parallels increasing recognition on the academic front , notably in the aforementioned " U . S . News & World Report " " Best Colleges and Universities " edition . Partnership relations . The university has partner - institution memorandum - of - understanding agreements with thirty - six international colleges and universities . One such partner institution is the Ulyanovsk State University in Ulyanovsk , Russia . It also participates in the British Council ' s Business Education Initiative and Irish - American Scholars program in conjunction with universities and colleges in Northern Ireland , United Kingdom . Name . According to the university ' s official history page , the name Shenandoah is derived from the Native American legend of Zynodoa , a brave whose life of strength and courage and his appreciation of beauty resulted in having a river and a valley named for him . Popular myth further ascribes translation of the word " Shenandoah " to mean " daughter of the stars . "