Welcome to Concord University
The mission of Concord University is to improve the lives of our students and communities, through innovative teaching and learning, intellectual and creative activities, and community service and civic engagement.
Featured Stories
Chair, Department of Social Work and Title IX Coordinator
When Dr. Pendergast was finishing her Ph.D. in Social Work Education at the University of South Carolina, she dreamed of teaching at a school like Concord. “I have wanted to live in the mountains for as long as I can remember,” she says. In 2007, she accepted a tenure-track position at CU and has found a home here. “The campus community is welcoming and accepting,” she says. Before completing her doctoral degree, Dr. Pendergast was a practicing social worker, valuable experience she shares with her students. “When I speak with students about social work, I explain that this is the best job and worst job you can have,” she says. “It’s very rewarding to see how people can change their lives, and it can be discouraging when these changes do not come.” Dr. Pendergast is dedicated to preparing her students for the realities they’ll face after graduation, and says she enjoys “being a small part of their journey.”
Dr. Joan Pendergast
Chair, Department of Social Work and Title IX Coordinator
Dr. George Williams '11
Assistant Professor of English / Director of Veteran Services
Dr. Samantha Byrd, DSW, MSW, LGSW, '16 '18
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
Adam Cook '18
Bradley, WV
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.”
