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
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
Dr. Samantha Byrd began at Concord as an adjunct professor in the Masters of Social Work program in 2020, and was advanced to a full-time position in 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Concord in 2016, and her Masters of Social Work degree in 2018, also from Concord. She went on to the University of Kentucky to earn her Doctor of Social Work degree in 2023. Dr. Byrd has practice experience in child and adolescent mental health, grant management, and foster parent training. She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) interventions. In addition to teaching, Samantha volunteers in the counseling center at Concord, and provides community service in various ways. She founded and manages a foster closet and foster parent support group, and serves on the board of directors for Child Protect of Mercer County. She says of her most memorable experience at CU, “Since starting in academia, I have had the pleasure of working in different capacities with some of the professors and mentors I had during my time as a student at CU. It is incredible to see how everyone comes together behind the scenes to support students in various ways.”
Dr. Samantha Byrd, DSW, MSW, LGSW, '16 '18
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
Mikayla McMullen '18
Marlinton, WV
Summer McElwain
Class of 2021
Dr. Joan Pendergast
Chair, Department of Social Work and Title IX Coordinator
Director of Institutional Research & Data Services
Miranda has been at Concord for 21 years, having begun as a first-generation college student. She loved student life so much that she double majored in Comprehensive Mathematics and Business Administration. During her junior and senior years, she was involved with several research projects in the Math Department, which led to attending and presenting at two different international conferences (The Netherlands and Cyprus). Upon graduating in 2009, she worked part-time in the Human Resources office, and then accepted a full-time position in the IT Department as SQL Developer in 2013. She then took over the federal and state data reporting and is now the Director of Institutional Research & Data Services. She says of her experience at CU, “I love my job and love working with other departments for their data needs! I also have wonderful co-workers and feel proud to be part of such a great team. CU is truly my family. It is my home and always will be.”
