Concord Academics
Concord University is divided into two colleges: The College of Professional and Liberal Studies and The College of Science, Mathematics, and Health. Both are full of rigorous academic programs, friendly and knowledgeable faculty members, and small class sizes.
Featured Stories
Professor of Philosophy and History
Professor Mc Kenna is an interdisciplinary scholar in the history of philosophy, religion, and the arts. He is a poet and has edited the short run journal Holler: A Journal of Poetry and Prose, now part of the permanent collection of the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia. As a professor, Dr. McKenna says his goal is to help students understand that the answers to life’s big questions vary, but that it is important to understand everyone else’s answers to better grasp the rich diversity of our world our place in it. Whether it be Language, Literature, History, Philosophy, or Religion, the Department of Humanities will prepare you for success in any field you choose by teaching you how to listen more carefully, to read with greater understanding, and how to write more effectively, all while acquiring a better understanding of the language, literature, history, philosophy and religion of the wider world. "We live in a rich and diverse world. The more we know about the people in it, what they think about it, and why they think so, the better we’ll do…no matter what we choose to do for a living.”
Dr. Thomas McKenna
Professor of Philosophy and History
Miranda Martin '09
Director of Institutional Research & Data Services
Summer McElwain
Class of 2021
Michael Yost
Class of 2017
Assistant Professor of English / Director of Veteran Services
George joined the Navy at age 17, and then worked for British Aerospace Engineering, where he helped design, install and repair advanced electronic systems on US Navy Ships. Later, he moved his family to Wilmington, NC, where he started his own business focusing on electronic and electrical systems for private yachts. Once his three daughters were grown, he and his wife sold everything and hit the road, eventually settling in Bluefield, WV. Dr. Williams attended Concord University and graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy. He and his wife then moved to Scotland, where he earned a Master of Letters (MLitt) in English Literary Studies at the University of Aberdeen. They spent nearly a decade there before returning to West Virginia in 2018 and began working at Concord as an adjunct professor, and finished his PhD from the University of Dundee. He was soon hired as an Assistant Professor of English and the CU Veterans Advocate. When asked about his most memorable experience, he relates, “I was presenting at an international conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, discussing how German author Goethe influenced Sir Walter Scott. After my presentation, my PhD advisor pulled me aside to inform me that I had been mispronouncing Goethe’s name throughout my talk. Embarrassed by my mistake in front of an international audience, I now use this experience as a teaching moment for my students.”
