Concord Financial Aid
Concord University has long been committed to improving student access and completion, particularly for low income and first-generation students in rural Appalachia. We provide generous scholarship opportunities which help make higher education more accessible.
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. Scott Inghram '03
MSW Program Director and Associate Professor
Dr. Samantha Byrd, DSW, MSW, LGSW, '16 '18
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
Josie Crawford '24
Biology Major with Biomedical Sciences Emphasis
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.”
