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Q&A with Shenandoah
University President
James A. Davis
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Virginia
Business talks with Shenandoah University President
James A. Davis about the business of education in the
Shenandoah Valley.
Q.
Describe Shenandoah University and its mission in the
Northern Shenandoah Valley region.
A. Located in historic Winchester, Virginia,
Shenandoah University is a regional, independent university
with more than 60 programs of study at the undergraduate
and professional levels in six schools: the School of
Arts and Sciences, Shenandoah Conservatory, Harry F.
Byrd Jr. School of Business, School of Health Professions,
Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and School of Continuing
Education.
We
combine both liberal and professional education and
our undergraduate and graduate students are at the center
of every decision we make. Our accomplished faculty
of teaching professionals is actively involved in the
lives of their students and in the community. With a
student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, our faculty know their
students by name and the students get to work closely
with their professors. In addition, because of our size
— approximately 2,500 students — we remain
student focused, career sensitive and flexible enough
to keep our programs in sync with a world of changing
opportunities and challenges.
Q.How
has Shenandoah University contributed to the regional
economy?
A.Shenandoah University has acted as a change agent
for economic development, with growth opportunities
played out in a variety of strategic partnerships with
business and the service industry. With more than 600
full- and part-time employees, Shenandoah is one of
the top 10 employers in the Winchester area.*
An
institution of higher education is a business and can
have a great impact on economic development, because
it prepares an educated work force and attracts top
business and professional leaders to the local community.
These leaders, in turn, benefit from what a university
offers: higher education, culture, the arts and continuing
educational opportunities. Further, economic studies
indicate graduates in professional fields - nurses,
pharmacists, physician assistants, physical and occupational
therapists, and teachers - tend to stay where they are
educated.
Q.The
university has a unique relationship with Winchester.
Can you describe this?
A.Our roots in this community date back to 1960.
In that year, Shenandoah relocated to Winchester from
Dayton, Va., by the invitation of the Winchester-Frederick
County Chamber of Commerce. Business leaders wanted
a college here to anchor an ambitious economic growth
plan. Community members raised funds at grass-roots
levels to bring Shenandoah here and even housed students
in their homes. In return, the community and Shenandoah
have grown together, and each has prospered.
Shortly
after I came to Shenandoah in 1982, we acquired the
John Kerr building, a former school building in downtown
Winchester. We renovated it and moved our nursing and
community arts programs into the facility. Today the
building houses the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy,
which instructs nearly 1,800 children and adults in
the areas of music, dance and the visual arts. City
leaders have helped to expand water, sewage systems
and roads to our campus property; agreed to the sale
of city property to build a new theatre; and, most recently,
worked to assist the city's rescue squad to relocate
and allow the university to use the former building
as a new site for the business school. In partnership
with the City of Winchester and the Winchester Public
Schools, we manage Winchester Community Television,
a local cable-access channel. None of these exchanges
could have occurred without the goodwill, trust and
long-term cooperation between Shenandoah, the City of
Winchester and Frederick County officials.
Q.What
other partnerships do you enjoy?
A.More than a decade ago, we collaborated with Shentel
Telecommunications Company of Edinburg, Va., to bring
the first Internet service to the Northern Shenandoah
Valley. In 2000, Shenandoah University entered into
a 10-year marketing agreement with Shentel to construct
Shentel Stadium, the home of our new football program,
the first agreement of its kind in Division III athletics.
We enjoy a long-standing relationship with the Winchester
Medical Center (Valley Health System), offering professional
health care programs at the undergraduate, master, doctoral
and continuing education levels.
Simultaneously,
these programs are delivered in leased facilities on
the campus of the Winchester Medical Center and in the
old hospital on Cork Street. Our students gain valuable
clinical experiences in health care in the regional
community, as well as in hospitals nationwide. Our teacher
education programs serve a number of teachers and administrators
as they continue their education and enhance public
schools throughout our 10-county service region. We
are also working with local historical organizations
to promote history and tourism in the Shenandoah Valley
through the development of a Historical and Tourism
Center. The purpose of the center is to conduct research
about the historical significance of the valley and
disseminate that research to the public in the form
of educational programs and publications.
Q.How
have you utilized technology at Shenandoah to facilitate
learning?
A.Our campus is completely wireless, and many of
our academic programs include laptops as part of their
curriculums. Last fall, Shenandoah was ranked 25th in
the top 50 colleges in Yahoo's Most Wired Colleges survey.
Much of this was made possible because of a $1.1 million
Congressional grant for technology and teacher education,
spearheaded by Congressman Frank Wolf in 1991. This
grant enabled us to train hundreds of public school
teachers and administrators to use technology in the
classroom, and helped us improve our infrastructure.
In addition, the university operates two successful
distance education programs, our non-traditional doctor
of pharmacy and the Teaching of English as a Second
Language (TESOL).
Q.Shenandoah
attracts many international students. Can you tell us
why the university is so popular with foreign students?
A.Approximately 10 percent of our student body comes
from 30 countries. Our close proximity to the international
community in Washington, D.C., and strong sister school
relationships with colleges and universities worldwide
make this possible. Our faculty and students travel
abroad while visiting faculty teach here from countries
all over the world. Of course, our affiliation with
the United Methodist Church also attracts international
visitors to the campus and our Marsh Institute for Government
and Public Policy attracts a wide variety of nationally
and internationally known speakers to the region. Recently,
nearly 50 Russian mayors visited the university, as
did 100 Chinese business executives, several Japanese
visitors and a Taiwanese delegation.
Q.We
would be remiss if we didn't mention your business school.
Can you tell us about it?
A.The Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business mission
is to "add value to the lives of students through
business education." Under the leadership of Dean
Stan Harrison, we offer undergraduate business degrees
and an evening MBA program in Winchester, and fast-track
undergraduate degree completion and MBA programs at
our Northern Virginia Campus in Leesburg. The business
curriculum focuses on preparing students to work in
an international business environment with summer internships
to Russia, China, Japan and Spain. Business students
engage in trading Wall Street stock portfolios as a
part of their curriculum, thanks to the generosity of
an anonymous businessman.
Dr.
James A. Davis is president of Shenandoah University
in Winchester. During his 20-year tenure, he has led
the university from a $3 million operating budget to
a university with six schools and a $43 million operating
budget. For more information about Shenandoah University,
visit www.su.edu, or call 800-432-2266.
*Source: Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce,
based on numbers of full and part-time employees
Return
to Virginia Business - November 2002
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