About Concord University
For more than 150 years, Concord University has served the southern region of West Virginia, southwest Virginia and beyond, educating teachers, business leaders, scientists, social workers, as well as future medical and legal professionals. With a 14:1 student to faculty ratio and over 70 programs of study, Concord provides you with a quality education no matter what you choose.
Featured Stories
Director of Student Activities & Student Center
Students at CU go to Carolyn Worley for help with their student ID, when they want to join or start an organization on campus, if they need to hang a poster or flyer, or even if they just need a listening ear. Carolyn says she wants to make a student’s college experience the best years of their lives. Carolyn has worked on campus since 2004, and in her time here as an employee of several different departments and as a student, she has gained valuable knowledge of the university that makes her an important resource for students. “Each position has allowed me to develop a new set of skills,” Carolyn says. “I enjoy learning and pushing to be the best version of myself.” In 2017, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Concord and in 2020, she graduated with her Masters of Health Promotion.
Carolyn Worley '17
Director of Student Activities & Student Center
Summer McElwain
Class of 2021
Taylor Brown
Psychology Major with Business Administration minor
Dr. Samantha Byrd, DSW, MSW, LGSW, '16 '18
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
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.”
