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Volume 6 Relation of U.B/EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University Dec. 26, 2013
the University, as dozens of outstanding students who desired to enroll in the 4-year doctorate program
chose to enroll as freshmen at the University. Outstanding faculty members were recruited away from
other pharmacy schools with competitive salaries and the prospect of using advanced technology in a
new facility. Accreditation was earned in the normal process, and praise was offered for the investment
the University and Valley Health Systems had made to start a “first class” School of Pharmacy.
On reflection, the risk taken by University leadership to start the pharmacy program was great
because at the time the program was initiated, only three new schools had been started in the United
States for several decades. The total budget, salaries for faculty and staff in the school, the cost of the
facility, technology costs, research requirements of faculty and students, and size of enrollment
exceeded normal expectations of any other program in the University. The new School of Pharmacy
accelerated the move to university status in many ways and assured the entire community that
expectations had been raised for quality of operations, rewards for people, and reputation for the
University across all programs.
Music Education. Since the University was pursuing approval from regional and specialized
accreditation for Pharmacy, university leaders decided also to elevate to the doctoral degree the music
education curriculum. Dr. Charlotte Collins, Dean of the Conservatory, designed a curriculum for music
teachers that allowed summer enrollment and, thereby, did not require individuals to give up their
teaching jobs in colleges and schools in order to earn a doctoral degree in music education. The
program was very popular, and soon masters and doctoral enrollments in music grew significantly. In
only 4 years, the University graduated more than 100 doctoral students from the first pharmacy class and
music education persons.
Teaching English as a Second Language. The popularity of the doctoral programs provided a
solid basis for the University to consider additional offerings in other professional areas. The
international students and current teachers desiring to teach English as a Second Language pressed the
University to expand its program to prepare teachers to work with students that spoke other languages
and desired to learn English. The TOESEL program, as it came to be known, expanded rapidly with the
use of technology and the Internet so that students enrolled from several countries and a large number of
public-school teachers completed degrees so they could effectively teach the hundreds of immigrant
children that had moved to the region.
International Learning. International recruitment of students and faculty became more intense
in the 1990s with several visiting scholars from China, Taiwan, Japan, Argentina, and Germany.
Enrollment of international students grew to almost 300 individuals from over 70 different countries.
An international student center was created; English-as-a-Second-Language classes were expanded;
international travel for faculty was expanded; and students at Shenandoah experienced international
culture through the influx of students from around the world. International Day and many celebrations
on campus were focused on the many cultural backgrounds the students from abroad. Two trustees, in
particular, Nancy Larrick Crosby and Magalen Bryant, supported the expansion of international
programs financially and personally.
The University created the Global Learning Experience, a new international travel program for
students, faculty, and staff. The offering made it possible for 70-plus persons from the campus to travel
to six or seven countries around the world during Spring break with a faculty leader. The travel was
preceded by seminars and sessions to prepare students for the learning experience and was followed by
summary sessions and presentations to campus groups about the travel/study experiences. Since faculty,
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 72
the University, as dozens of outstanding students who desired to enroll in the 4-year doctorate program
chose to enroll as freshmen at the University. Outstanding faculty members were recruited away from
other pharmacy schools with competitive salaries and the prospect of using advanced technology in a
new facility. Accreditation was earned in the normal process, and praise was offered for the investment
the University and Valley Health Systems had made to start a “first class” School of Pharmacy.
On reflection, the risk taken by University leadership to start the pharmacy program was great
because at the time the program was initiated, only three new schools had been started in the United
States for several decades. The total budget, salaries for faculty and staff in the school, the cost of the
facility, technology costs, research requirements of faculty and students, and size of enrollment
exceeded normal expectations of any other program in the University. The new School of Pharmacy
accelerated the move to university status in many ways and assured the entire community that
expectations had been raised for quality of operations, rewards for people, and reputation for the
University across all programs.
Music Education. Since the University was pursuing approval from regional and specialized
accreditation for Pharmacy, university leaders decided also to elevate to the doctoral degree the music
education curriculum. Dr. Charlotte Collins, Dean of the Conservatory, designed a curriculum for music
teachers that allowed summer enrollment and, thereby, did not require individuals to give up their
teaching jobs in colleges and schools in order to earn a doctoral degree in music education. The
program was very popular, and soon masters and doctoral enrollments in music grew significantly. In
only 4 years, the University graduated more than 100 doctoral students from the first pharmacy class and
music education persons.
Teaching English as a Second Language. The popularity of the doctoral programs provided a
solid basis for the University to consider additional offerings in other professional areas. The
international students and current teachers desiring to teach English as a Second Language pressed the
University to expand its program to prepare teachers to work with students that spoke other languages
and desired to learn English. The TOESEL program, as it came to be known, expanded rapidly with the
use of technology and the Internet so that students enrolled from several countries and a large number of
public-school teachers completed degrees so they could effectively teach the hundreds of immigrant
children that had moved to the region.
International Learning. International recruitment of students and faculty became more intense
in the 1990s with several visiting scholars from China, Taiwan, Japan, Argentina, and Germany.
Enrollment of international students grew to almost 300 individuals from over 70 different countries.
An international student center was created; English-as-a-Second-Language classes were expanded;
international travel for faculty was expanded; and students at Shenandoah experienced international
culture through the influx of students from around the world. International Day and many celebrations
on campus were focused on the many cultural backgrounds the students from abroad. Two trustees, in
particular, Nancy Larrick Crosby and Magalen Bryant, supported the expansion of international
programs financially and personally.
The University created the Global Learning Experience, a new international travel program for
students, faculty, and staff. The offering made it possible for 70-plus persons from the campus to travel
to six or seven countries around the world during Spring break with a faculty leader. The travel was
preceded by seminars and sessions to prepare students for the learning experience and was followed by
summary sessions and presentations to campus groups about the travel/study experiences. Since faculty,
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 72
