Shenandoah University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
540525605
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2007
Location
Winchester, VA, USA
Phone
540-665-4500
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
University or Technological Institute

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$172,357,275
Expenses
$149,319,133
Assets
$349,560,824
Liabilities
$107,014,451

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

48 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TRACY FITZSIMMONS (PRESIDENT AND REGISTERED AGENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TRACY FITZSIMMONS (PRESIDENT AND REGISTERED AGENT): $436,293 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT KIDD (DEAN OF PHARMACY): $270,889 total reported compensation
  • MITCHELL L MOORE (SENIOR VP AND VP FOR ADVANCEMENT): $256,720 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Explore Our Vision for the Future Mission Statement Shenandoah University educates and inspires individuals to be critical, reflective thinkers; lifelong learners; and ethical, compassionate citizens who are committed to making responsible contributions within a community, a nation and the world. Shenandoah University educates and inspires individuals to be critical, reflective thinkers; lifelong learners; and ethical, compassionate citizens who are committed to making responsible contributions within a community, a nation and the world. [](.

What it reported doing in 2024

Student services includes admissions, registrar, student affairs, student organizations, and athletic programs. During fiscal year 2024-2025, shenandoah university had over 70 recognized student clubs and organizations. Shenandoah university sponsored 22 intercollegiate teams (11 for women and 11 for men) with a total student-athlete involvement of more than 500. Intercollegiate athletics are an integral aspect of student life on the shenandoah university campus, with the majority of students involved either as participants or spectators. Several su sports teams earned national rankings and contended for old dominion athletic conference titles in their respective sports, and student-athletes excelled at the conference, regional and national levels.shenandoah's health professions building, located off main campus at the winchester medical center campus, serves as the home of the school of pharmacy, and su's nationally ranked physician assistant studies program as well as the occupational therapy and physical therapy programs in the school of health professions. Su's loudoun location serves students in the mba, education and leadership, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and speech and language pathology programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 83% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 75% for direct work, and 25% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.3%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13.4%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.34; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 76.3% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $131.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $436K · 48 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $15.5M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.