[4] At the time, it was located on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) campus in Dayton, Virginia, and classes were initially held in a two-room log cabin.

Intense competition from neighboring colleges and universities, along with increasing long-term operating deficits, created low morale.

Through Wilkins' efforts he secured a plot of land from Winchester's Jim Barnett Park for the college, where the main campus is currently located.

The 360-acre Winchester campus[11] and began offering four-year degrees in 1974 (at which time the college and conservatory corporations were merged).

The student body represented 42 foreign countries as well as 48 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

Purchased by the Civil War Trust in 2012, stewardship of the property transferred to the university in spring 2013 to protect and preserve the former battlefield site.

Shenandoah offers more than 200 areas of study at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral-degree levels, as well as through undergraduate and graduate certificates, across six schools.

The university is a member of the NCAA Division III ranks, primarily competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) since the 2012–13 academic year.

Shenandoah competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.