Concord University

Concord University is a public university in Athens, West Virginia. It was founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in Concord Church, in the County of Mercer". Founded by veterans of both the Union and the Confederacy, Concord is named for the ideal of "harmony and sweet fellowship".

Concord University
Former names
Concord State Normal School, Concord College
TypePublic, four year, Undergraduate, Graduate
Established1872
PresidentDr. Kendra Boggess[1][2]
Students2,238 (Fall 2017)[3]
Undergraduates1,875[3]
Postgraduates363[3]
Location
Athens
,
West Virginia
,
USA
CampusRural, 123-acre (50 ha)
park-like campus
Colorsmaroon and gray
         
NicknameMountain Lions
AffiliationsWest Virginia Higher Education System
Websitewww.concord.edu
Marsh Hall and its Bell Tower

It is known for its picturesque campus which has been dubbed "The Campus Beautiful"[4][5] and its scenic location on a knoll overlooking the mountains in the area.[6] The university also operates a center and conducts classes in Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia.

History
Year — Selected events[7][8]
  • 1872 — West Virginia State Legislature establishes the name of Concord for the new school
  • 1875 — Classes start with 70 students
  • 1887 — State funds provide for a new brick building on the site of the present Athens Middle School
  • 1896 — Another post office in Hampshire County, West Virginia was called "Concord;" therefore, the town's name is changed to "Athens" after the Greek city and a center of learning
  • 1910 — Fire destroys the original brick building and the campus is moved to its present site
  • 1912 — A new building erected, called Old Main, which is currently known as Marsh Hall
  • 1918 — Start of expansion with new residence halls, gymnasium, as well as academic programs
  • 1931 — Name changed to "Concord State Teachers College"
  • 1943 — Name changed to "Concord College" and the United States Army Air Corps 15th College Training Detachment uses the campus
  • 1945 — Start of postwar enrollment growth and expansion of physical plant, including a new Science Building
  • 1959 – Expansion of campus continues (College Center, student and faculty housing) as well as of the curriculum emphasizing quality and a cosmopolitan faculty
  • 1973 – West Virginia Board of Regents and the State Legislature propose to merge Concord and Bluefield State Colleges
  • 1976 – The administrative merger is abandoned and Concord's enrollment increases with new academic programs
  • 2004 – Name changed to "Concord University"
Concord University Library
Entrance to the Science Hall
Art Building and part of the Theatre on the left
Student Center on the Athens campus
The Nick J. Rahall Center
University Point

Academics

Concord offers 12 undergraduate majors[9] and 3 graduate programs.[10]

Colleges and departments

The university is organized into three colleges:

  • College of Professional Studies
    • Department of Education
    • Department of Communication Arts
    • Department of Business and Tourism & Recreation Management
    • Department of Social Work and Sociology
  • College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Health
    • Department of Biology
    • Department of Health Sciences
    • Department of Physical Sciences
    • Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
  • College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
    • Department of Fine Arts
    • Department of Humanities
    • Department of Social Sciences

Facilities

Concord University's campus features numerous buildings and facilities.

  • The majority of administrative offices, as well as the education, social sciences, and languages and literature divisions, are located in Marsh Hall (known as ADMIN on campus). Marsh Hall also features a 48-bell carillon atop the building.
  • The Science Building, attached to Marsh Hall, houses science laboratories and the natural sciences division. Located on the ground floor of the Science Building is the university's electron microprobe lab. This is West Virginia's only electron microprobe lab.[11]
  • The Alexander Fine Arts Center, home to the fine arts division, features the Main Auditorium, art galleries, H.C. Paul Theatre, art laboratories, classrooms, and the office of the student newspaper.
  • The Carter Center houses the University's two gymnasiums, athletic offices, classrooms, racquetball courts, indoor athletic facilities, and the swimming pool.
  • The Student Center features the University's cafeteria, food court, student government office, student support offices, mail office, and development, alumni, and public relations offices. The Student Center also features a ballroom and conference facilities.
  • The Bonner House houses the offices of the Bonner Scholars Program, a conference room, the counseling center, and faculty offices.
  • The Woodrum House is home to students from the ALEF (Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation) Fellowship, a leadership organization on campus.
  • The Maintenance Building houses the public safety offices, receiving station, and maintenance facilities. Witherspoon Park features faculty housing.
  • The President's House and Vice President's House as well as other homes are located on campus.
  • The campus also features an observatory.
  • The campus also features the largest library in southern West Virginia, the J. Frank Marsh Library, which is a depository for federal documents. The library offers computer labs and facilities, microfiche, copying services, a juvenile section, and the University's archives. In the basement of the library, the University has its Center for Academic Technologies, which features a television studio, radio station and studio, a DNA laboratory, as well as distance education and technology classrooms.[12]
  • Concord University's outdoor athletic facilities include Callaghan Stadium featuring an artificial turf field funded by June O. Shott. Callaghan Stadium also features track and field facilities, tennis courts and a baseball/softball practice field. Anderson Field, located on the outskirts of the campus, features the soccer field and baseball/softball field.
  • Concord University features five main residence halls: The Twin Towers, North (women's) and South (men's), Laura A. Sarvay Hall (closed), Damarius O. Wilson Hall (co-ed), and W.S. "Woody" Wooddell Hall, referred to on-campus as "The Woo" (closed).
  • The Nick Rahall Technology Center, a state-of-the-art facility.[13] It is the home of the Division of Business, the Entrepreneurial Studies Program, the Center for Academic Technologies, and the University computer center. This US$14 million project is a central location for McDowell, Wyoming, Raleigh, Fayette, Greenbrier, Summers, Mercer and Monroe Counties of West Virginia where existing business may obtain training/orientation in technologies. The Center also houses the Concord University Entrepreneurial Studies Program, supported by a grant from the Hugh Ike Shott Foundation. Incubator businesses, gifted Concord students, as well as professional Concord consulting faculty from the School of Business and other disciplines, are brought together in the Rahall Center to use the area's "brain trust" to create entrepreneurial advantages for Southern West Virginia.
  • The new University Point facility, housing the Erickson Alumni Center as well as the Wilkes Family Interfaith Chapel and Museum.[14]

Other campuses
The Erma Byrd Higher Education Center in Beckley, WV

Concord University's main campus is located in Athens, West Virginia. However, the University also operates a center in Beckley, Raleigh County. The facility is located in the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center (named after the deceased spouse of Robert Byrd), 300 University Drive in Beaver (Access via I-64, Exit 125B, Airport Road). The Center was designed to serve as a catalyst to attract business and industry to the area. The Beckley office coordinates classes at the Erma Byrd Center as well as at several other facilities in and surrounding Beckley.

Campus organizations

Concord sponsors nearly 200 on-campus organizations, including fraternities, sororities, religious and political organizations, an Art Society, chapters of Delta Zeta, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Phi Alpha Delta, Alpha Phi Omega, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Phi Sigma Phi, Sigma Tau Gamma, Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Sigma Tau, Gay-Straight Alliance, College Republicans, Young Democrats, a chapter of Amtgard known as the "Shire of Nowhere Mountains," and a community theatre organization known as the Appalachian Shakespeare Project.

The Concord University Student Government Association (SGA) is responsible for many changes on campus, and is active in every aspect of Concord life. All organizations are required to send a representative to all SGA meetings. The Student Government at Concord University is especially inadequate compared to other SGAs in West Virginia, and is noted for its model judicial system wherein a student court, composed entirely of students, handles the majority of adjudications for most student offenses.

Residence life
Residence halls, the North and South Towers

There are five residence halls on campus. North (Female) and South (Male) Towers house the fraternities and sororities as well as Honors and several sports teams. Each floor has two lounges. There is one co-ed hall, Sarvay, which is also the oldest building on campus still standing. Sarvay is traditionally a female dorm but due to lack of housing, males live on the first floor. The other two halls are Wilson for females and Woodell, nicknamed "The Woo," for males. Housing is not divided by year. Several floors are set aside as "Substance free," and the rest allow alcohol if both residents are over 21.

As of Fall Semester 2018, the only residence halls open were North Tower, South Tower and Wilson Hall, due to lack of enrollment. Wilson Hall now acts as a co-ed hall, with males living on the first two floors, and females on the upper three floors. The North and South Towers complex got a major renovation, which was completed in 2017.

Athletics
A football game on campus
A mountain lion in front of the library

Concord University, known athletically as the Mountain Lions, is home to many intercollegiate and intramural athletics teams. The men's intercollegiate teams include: baseball, basketball, football, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field. The women's intercollegiate teams include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and track & field. Concord University is an NCAA Division II school, and a member of the Mountain East Conference. The Office of Student Affairs provides intramurals in many athletic activities, including flag football, volleyball, and basketball.[15] On November 29, 2014 the football team won its first ever playoff game by beating West Chester University 51-36. This was also its first 12-0 season.[16] The following week they beat Bloomsburg University 32-26 to advance to the semifinals. On December 13, 2014 in the semifinals game in Mankato, Minnesota, Concord lost to Minnesota State University, Mankato 47-13, ending the season with a record of 13-1, their best ever.[17]

Notable alumni
Entrance sign

Notes
  1. "Boggess named interim Concord U. president". Charleston Daily Mail. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2013-11-19. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. Lilly, Jessica (17 September 2014). "Concord University Welcomes Dr. Kendra Boggess as President". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  3. "Institutional Research 2017". 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  4. Crandall, William; Parnell, John A.; Spillan, John E. (2009). Crisis Management in the New Strategy Landscape. SAGE. p. 86. ISBN 9781412954136. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  5. Archer, William R. "Bill" (2001). Mercer County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9781439629024. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  6. Adkins, Leonard M. (2011). Explorer's Guide West Virginia (Second ed.). The Countryman Press. p. 213. ISBN 9781581579260. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  7. "Concord University history". Concord University Library. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  8. "History & Goals". Concord University. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  9. "Degree Programs". www.concord.edu. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  10. "Graduate Studies - Graduate Studies". www.concord.edu. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  11. "Concord University Electron Microprobe Lab". Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  12. "Concord University Library". Concord University Library. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  13. Sorah, Annette (29 February 2008). "Tech Center to Help Concord Students Develop Skills". The State Journal. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  14. "University Point". Concord University Office of Advancement. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  15. "Concord University Lions". Concord University Athletics. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  16. Kline, Jared. "Concord Defeats West Chester, Earns First Playoff Title". WVNS-TV. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  17. "Minnesota State Mankato Romps Into NCAA Division II Title Game". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  18. "BYRD, Robert Carlyle, (1917–2010)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  19. Siegel, Alan (September 20, 2017). "The Progressive Liberal's Agenda". The Ringer. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  20. "Philadelphia Soul game notes". OurSportsCentral.com. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
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