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Volume 6 Relation of U.B/EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University Dec. 26, 2013
Doctoral Programs. After 2000, four additional doctoral programs were initiated in Physical
Therapy, Educational Leadership, Music Performance, and Nursing Practice. To this end, the physical
therapy profession moved its entry-level practice requirements to the doctorate, and the University
responded promptly to elevate the program to the doctoral level. Further, the University offered a non-
traditional distance-learning program to those that had earned a master’s degree to be able to upgrade
their degree to the doctorate with the use of technology and short campus-based seminars. The
University started the Educational Leadership doctorate to meet the need for administrators with
advanced credentials in the public schools. The program attracted a large number of persons that had
already earned a master’s degree in educational administration. The Conservatory expanded its doctoral
offerings in several areas of performance once the new Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre and Ruebush Hall
Complex were completed and new space and faculty were available for faculty and students. The
Nursing Practice doctorate grew out of the need to help prepare nursing faculty for college and
university programs, as well as for nursing administrators at large and complex medical facilities. The
University had graduated a significant number of masters students in Nursing that were poised to begin
doctoral-level work; and the depth of faculty, research, and clinical opportunities that were available to
students at surrounding medical facilities was excellent.
Within a short decade, the University had responded to five identified needs for professional
doctoral studies and had successfully gained accreditation, enrolled more than adequate numbers of
students, and filled the ranks of professionals with experienced and credentialed persons. The overall
impact of these developments was to solidify the growing reputation of Shenandoah University as a
regional university of distinction and as a university that responded to the needs for credentialed
professionals who would effectively serve the region.
Armory Property. In order for the University to complete the purchases needed to build a new
entry to the University at Millwood Avenue, the Armory property was needed. The 1920s building
stood at the center of the new proposed entry on University Drive, and, because of its age and lack of
funds to upgrade its appearance, it detracted from the quality image desired for the University. First
impressions of students and families that visit the campus are very important, and the Armory facility
had become a major distraction. In the 1980s the University started discussions with the City, the
Commonwealth, and the National Guard about a process to obtain funds for a new Armory at a new
location with more space for training and expansion. Jack Marsh, former Secretary of the Army; Al
Smith, member of the Virginia House of Delegates; Wendall Seldon, City Manager and a general officer
in the National Guard; Richard Shickle, Vice-President at the University and member of the Board of
Supervisors; and a number of other political leaders such as Senator Russ Potts, Senator Charles Robb,
Senator John Warner, and Delegate Beverly Sherwood, worked on the process to gain approval for a
new Armory for the region.
Governor Mark Warner and Delegate Al Smith helped move the effort forward in the 1990s with
state appropriations that matched federal dollars, and the National Guard leaders approved the offer
from Frederick County of 10 acres of proffered land as a new armory site. Senator John Warner guided
the approval of the new facility through federal budget actions and was honored for his service to the
nation and our military forces as the project was completed. The new facility is much larger, more
functional, and offers space for training and expansion of their operations for wartime preparation or
emergency services that they are frequently called upon to perform. The land and Armory building on
Millwood Avenue were owned by the City, and once the lease to the U.S. Army and National Guard was
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 79
Doctoral Programs. After 2000, four additional doctoral programs were initiated in Physical
Therapy, Educational Leadership, Music Performance, and Nursing Practice. To this end, the physical
therapy profession moved its entry-level practice requirements to the doctorate, and the University
responded promptly to elevate the program to the doctoral level. Further, the University offered a non-
traditional distance-learning program to those that had earned a master’s degree to be able to upgrade
their degree to the doctorate with the use of technology and short campus-based seminars. The
University started the Educational Leadership doctorate to meet the need for administrators with
advanced credentials in the public schools. The program attracted a large number of persons that had
already earned a master’s degree in educational administration. The Conservatory expanded its doctoral
offerings in several areas of performance once the new Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre and Ruebush Hall
Complex were completed and new space and faculty were available for faculty and students. The
Nursing Practice doctorate grew out of the need to help prepare nursing faculty for college and
university programs, as well as for nursing administrators at large and complex medical facilities. The
University had graduated a significant number of masters students in Nursing that were poised to begin
doctoral-level work; and the depth of faculty, research, and clinical opportunities that were available to
students at surrounding medical facilities was excellent.
Within a short decade, the University had responded to five identified needs for professional
doctoral studies and had successfully gained accreditation, enrolled more than adequate numbers of
students, and filled the ranks of professionals with experienced and credentialed persons. The overall
impact of these developments was to solidify the growing reputation of Shenandoah University as a
regional university of distinction and as a university that responded to the needs for credentialed
professionals who would effectively serve the region.
Armory Property. In order for the University to complete the purchases needed to build a new
entry to the University at Millwood Avenue, the Armory property was needed. The 1920s building
stood at the center of the new proposed entry on University Drive, and, because of its age and lack of
funds to upgrade its appearance, it detracted from the quality image desired for the University. First
impressions of students and families that visit the campus are very important, and the Armory facility
had become a major distraction. In the 1980s the University started discussions with the City, the
Commonwealth, and the National Guard about a process to obtain funds for a new Armory at a new
location with more space for training and expansion. Jack Marsh, former Secretary of the Army; Al
Smith, member of the Virginia House of Delegates; Wendall Seldon, City Manager and a general officer
in the National Guard; Richard Shickle, Vice-President at the University and member of the Board of
Supervisors; and a number of other political leaders such as Senator Russ Potts, Senator Charles Robb,
Senator John Warner, and Delegate Beverly Sherwood, worked on the process to gain approval for a
new Armory for the region.
Governor Mark Warner and Delegate Al Smith helped move the effort forward in the 1990s with
state appropriations that matched federal dollars, and the National Guard leaders approved the offer
from Frederick County of 10 acres of proffered land as a new armory site. Senator John Warner guided
the approval of the new facility through federal budget actions and was honored for his service to the
nation and our military forces as the project was completed. The new facility is much larger, more
functional, and offers space for training and expansion of their operations for wartime preparation or
emergency services that they are frequently called upon to perform. The land and Armory building on
Millwood Avenue were owned by the City, and once the lease to the U.S. Army and National Guard was
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 79
