History & Purpose

Concord College was established on February 28, 1872, by an act of the West Virginia State Legislature, and was officially opened on May 10, 1875. The College currently enrolls 3,000 students, served by 140 faculty and professional staff members.

Concord College is a selective baccalaureate institution with a strong commitment to programs of excellence in teacher education, business, pre-professional programs in the arts and sciences, and public service. Promoting student learning is the College’s primary function, complemented by scholarly activity and public service that contribute to the balanced and enduring economic development of southern West Virginia, to the enrichment of the region’s general quality of life, and to the improvement of the public schools. Concord College is committed to its role as a liberal arts college with an emphasis on academic programs that proceed from or relate to that orientation. The College has a carefully defined and clearly understood vision of the liberally educated person, and judges quality and success on the basis of knowledge and performance measured in relation to those ideals.

Intensified recruiting, more generous scholarships, and increased selectivity will enable the College to serve students who are more culturally diverse and geographically, better prepared, and whose talents are most likely to be enhanced and refined by the particular challenges fashioned by the College. Service to the people of rural southern West Virginia—primarily Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Raleigh, Wyoming, Summers, Greenbrier, and Fayette counties—is the principal animating commitment of the faculty and staff. An upper-division partner with community colleges proximate to its campus, Concord is West Virginia’s only residential college south of Beckley.

Using the excess capacity of existing facilities in selected communities, Concord will continue to offer off-campus learning opportunities where resources permit quality instruction. Expanding educational services to students in the region through collaboration and cooperation with other colleges and universities will remain an important consideration.

Mission of Concord College

The mission of Concord College is to provide quality, liberal arts based education, to foster scholarly activities, and to serve the regional community.

Concord College provides rigorous programs, primarily at the baccalaureate level, which prepare students to pursue various graduate study and career options and to assume leadership and professional roles in a multicultural society. In keeping with its tradition of service to the region, the college will offer a limited number of carefully selected graduate degrees. While we incorporate a variety of educational methodologies/technologies, our size and the caring dedication of our faculty, staff and administration are the principal assurances of a quality educational opportunity at Concord College.

As a learning community, Concord College is committed to furthering knowledge through professional development activities and programs, through research, and through the application, publication and appreciation of scholarly efforts.

The primary purpose of Concord’s mission is academic; however, the service the College provides to its state and region goes beyond the classroom. Con-cord College contributes to the quality of cultural and economic life in southern West Virginia through collaboration with both public and private organizations and agencies and through extension of its support and assistance into the region it serves.

Ultimately, Concord College measures its success by the fulfillment alumni find in their careers and throughout their lives.

Admission Information Concord College welcomes applications from men and women who are willing to work conscientiously and to regard the opportunity to attend college as a serious challenge. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications prior to June 1 of the fall semester in which they are to enroll. Even though an interview is not required, prospective students are encouraged to visit the Campus.

Regular Admissions

Students must meet the following requirements for entrance to Concord College:

a. have an overall grade-point average of at least 2.00 (C) or higher or a composite score of 17 on the American College Testing Program (ACT) or 810 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT);

b. complete the required high school units listed below at an approved secondary school: 4 English (including courses in grammar, composition and literature); 3 Social Studies (including U.S. History); 2 Mathematics (Algebra 1 and higher); 2 Laboratory Science (from biology, coordinated thematic science, chemistry, environmental earth science in grades 11 or 12, physics and other courses with a strong laboratory science orientation).

We strongly recommend two units of foreign language and the remaining elective units should be chosen from such subjects as computer science, fine arts, humanities and typing (keyboarding);

c. complete an application form; and

d. arrange for official copies of high school credentials, the results of the American College Testing Program (ACT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and a satisfactory health form (after admission) to be forwarded to the Admissions Office.

Applicants for admission who have been out of high school for more than five years or who meet our established GED requirements may be exempted from the specific high school curricular requirements.

Applications from individuals who are not high school graduates will be considered only if they attain GED scores sufficient to qualify for the State’s high school equivalency certificate or diploma (state required scores at the time of testing). Such applicants must be seventeen years of age or past the age they would have been had they remained in high school until graduation and they must have been out of high school more than one year preceding their application.

In-state and out-of-state applicants are considered under the same admission policy.

Provisional admission may be granted in instances where institutional officials have evidence that the student has the potential to successfully complete college-level work.

Transfer Students

Students who want to transfer to Concord from another institution should apply as early as possible. The application must list any colleges or universities previously attended and the reasons for leaving each institution. Failure to do this is grounds for separation from Concord. The student must provide the Admissions Office with transcripts of all previous college work. The Registrar’s Office will then determine how many hours can be accepted in transfer, and what qualitative standards apply. A decision on admission will be made after a thorough evaluation of the student’s record, including consideration of any deficiency in quality points represented by grades at previous institutions.

Transfer students shall not be admitted if they are deficient twenty or more quality points in their work at the institutions they previously attended unless there are extenuating circumstances. If accepted, such students will be admitted on a probational basis.

Except in unusual and extenuating circumstances, transfer students must have been in good academic and social standing and be able to return to the institution from which they are transferring unless the student has been out of school for five years.

A scale (Page 191) in this Catalog outlines the maximum quality-point deficit permitted to avoid academic probation. Any student on academic probation at the college previously attended will be assigned a probationary status for at least one semester of admission at Concord irrespective of quality-point standing.

Once admitted to Concord, a student must have approval from the Registrar to transfer additional credits from other institutions.

A satisfactory health form must be submitted after admission.

Transfer students with fewer than 15 semester hours of college credits are required to attend an orientation session prior to registration in the fall. Transfer students with fewer than 30 semester hours of credit must submit their ACT or SAT scores and a copy of their high school transcript.

Non-Degree Students

Concord may admit students on a non-degree basis.

By definition, such students are not seeking a certificate or degree. Such students must satisfactorily demonstrate to the admitting institution qualities making their success in the courses selected reasonably assured. Should such a non-matriculant wish to matriculate at Concord College, all applicable admission criteria must be met, including transcripts, GED, and ACT or SAT scores. After completing 15 hours credit, non-matriculated/special students will be subject to regular student academic requirements.

Veterans

Concord College makes a special effort to serve veterans. Veterans should contact the Veterans’ Affairs Office, located in the Financial Aid Office, prior to changing their schedules (adding or dropping courses). They must be sure that their course load is not reduced below the level for which they are being paid by the Veterans Administration. They also must enroll in courses that count toward graduation. Failure to comply with these regulations will affect veterans’ benefits and refunds must be made back to the start of the semester. Veterans may qualify for admission by achieving General Education Development (GED) test scores sufficient to qualify for the state’s high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Veterans are under the same grading practices as other enrolled students. Academic probation and academic suspension procedures are the same for all students. Persons receiving veterans’ benefits must maintain satisfactory progress as outlined in the law (38 USC 1674 or 1724).

Veterans must declare their major field of interest upon the completion of their sophomore year in college (59 hours). Otherwise, they will not be able to make satisfactory progress toward graduation. A permanent record of the veteran’s academic record is maintained by the Registrar’s Office. This record is updated at the end of each semester. Veterans may check their records during posted working hours of the appropriate office. Enrolled veterans come under the same guidelines regarding conduct and conditions for dismissal for unsatisfactory conduct as other students. Classroom conduct and responsibilities are set forth in the Catalog. Students with more than one year of military service shall be granted a maximum of four semester hours as general electives in the field of physical education, of which two hours can be used to satisfy the General Studies requirement. Transfer credits for ROTC will be counted as general electives. Veterans are assigned an advisor to assist them with their academic planning; however, the Veterans’ Affairs Office, the Admissions Office, the Registrar’s Office, the Student Affairs Office, and other College personnel will assist in other areas of need.

Advanced Placement

West Virginia’s system of higher education has implemented policies which enable students who have successfully completed any advanced placement exams to receive credit at Concord and all other undergraduate institutions in the state system. Provisions of the policies include:

1. High school students completing advanced placement examinations of The College Board with a minimum score of 3 will receive credit at any institution in the higher education system in West Virginia;

2. When the examination is in the area of the student’s major, the institution will award credit toward the major or core curriculum;

3. An academic department within the institution, upon the approval of the institutional faculty, may require a higher score than 3 on an advanced placement test if the credit is to be used toward meeting a course requirement for a major in the department; and

4. Credits awarded by regionally accredited institutions of higher education for successful completion of advanced placement exams are transferable to institutions in the higher education system in West Virginia, in accordance with the advanced placement policy of the receiving institution.

Listings of awards of advanced placement credit, minimum scores, number of credits awarded, and available course equivalents for each institution in West Virginia’s higher education system, are available in the Office of the Registrar. Credits are awarded after an official report is received and the student enrolls in the receiving institution.

International Students

Concord College considers qualified applicants from schools and colleges located outside the United States.

International students may be admitted if they have satisfactory academic records with a minimum score of 500 (paper-based) and 173 (computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). International students must also submit official copies of the American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores. International applicants must submit official high school transcripts. If the student has atended a previous college, transcripts must be provided by the college.

Applicants must provide documentation that indicates they can meet the financial responsibilities during the period of time they expect to be in residence.

Students scoring less than the minimum score on the TOEFL will be considered for our English Language Training Program, operated by Concord College which provides intensive personalized instruction. For information on costs, contact the English Language Training Program Director in the Office of Student Affairs.

High School Students

Concord College is authorized to allow a limited number of talented and superior high school students to earn college credits prior to their graduation from high school. The credits earned will be held for the students until they become regular students at Concord, or the College will forward, upon request, transcripts to other colleges.

Students who intend to continue their high school programs may seek conditional admission and request permission to enroll in college courses either during one or both summer terms or during the academic year.

High school students may enroll during the summer for a full-time load of no more than seven hours each term. Qualifications for this program include the following criteria:

a. completion of at least the sophomore year (8 units in the college preparatory curriculum) of high school;

b. recommendation of a grade average of 3.00 or better in all academic subjects completed in high school; and

c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor.

High school students enrolling during the academic year, thus combining high school and college study, may enroll for no more than twelve hours each semester, depending upon the total student load. Qualifications for this program are as follows:

a. completion of at least the sophomore year (8 units in the college preparatory curriculum of high school;

b. recommendation of a grade average of 3.00 or better in all academic subjects completed in high school; and

c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor.

Advanced Admissions High school students may be granted, on occasion, full admission to the College and be granted permission to enroll for full-time study without completing the normal high school program. Applicants in this category will be expected to fulfill the following qualifications: a. at least a senior classification (completed at least 12 units in the college preparatory curriculum);

b. a grade average and an ACT or comparable SAT score which yield a prediction factor indicating that each student has at least a seventy percent chance of earning a C or higher at Concord; and

c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor.

Off-Campus Programs

The admission requirements for off-campus students are the same as for regular admission to the College.

Regents Bachelor of Arts Degree

Admission to the West Virginia Board of Regents’ degree program is open to students who have graduated from high school at least four years ago. Admission to this degree program does not provide automatic admission to other programs in the College.

For further information about the RBA program, see pages 15-16 of this Catalog.

Transient Students

Students seeking a degree at another institution may enroll for course work at Concord College. The appropriate transient approval form must be submitted by the parent institutions.


	History & Purpose Concord College was established on February 28, 1872, by an act of the West Virginia State Legislature, and was officially opened on May 10, 1875. The College currently enrolls 3,000 students, served by 140 faculty and professional staff members. Concord College is a selective baccalaureate institution with a strong commitment to programs of excellence in teacher education, business, pre-professional programs in the arts and sciences, and public service. Promoting student learning is the College’s primary function, complemented by scholarly activity and public service that contribute to the balanced and enduring economic development of southern West Virginia, to the enrichment of the region’s general quality of life, and to the improvement of the public schools. Concord College is committed to its role as a liberal arts college with an emphasis on academic programs that proceed from or relate to that orientation. The College has a carefully defined and clearly understood vision of the liberally educated person, and judges quality and success on the basis of knowledge and performance measured in relation to those ideals. Intensified recruiting, more generous scholarships, and increased selectivity will enable the College to serve students who are more culturally diverse and geographically, better prepared, and whose talents are most likely to be enhanced and refined by the particular challenges fashioned by the College. Service to the people of rural southern West Virginia—primarily Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Raleigh, Wyoming, Summers, Greenbrier, and Fayette counties—is the principal animating commitment of the faculty and staff. An upper-division partner with community colleges proximate to its campus, Concord is West Virginia’s only residential college south of Beckley. Using the excess capacity of existing facilities in selected communities, Concord will continue to offer off-campus learning opportunities where resources permit quality instruction. Expanding educational services to students in the region through collaboration and cooperation with other colleges and universities will remain an important consideration. Mission of Concord College The mission of Concord College is to provide quality, liberal arts based education, to foster scholarly activities, and to serve the regional community. Concord College provides rigorous programs, primarily at the baccalaureate level, which prepare students to pursue various graduate study and career options and to assume leadership and professional roles in a multicultural society. In keeping with its tradition of service to the region, the college will offer a limited number of carefully selected graduate degrees. While we incorporate a variety of educational methodologies/technologies, our size and the caring dedication of our faculty, staff and administration are the principal assurances of a quality educational opportunity at Concord College. As a learning community, Concord College is committed to furthering knowledge through professional development activities and programs, through research, and through the application, publication and appreciation of scholarly efforts. The primary purpose of Concord’s mission is academic; however, the service the College provides to its state and region goes beyond the classroom. Con-cord College contributes to the quality of cultural and economic life in southern West Virginia through collaboration with both public and private organizations and agencies and through extension of its support and assistance into the region it serves. Ultimately, Concord College measures its success by the fulfillment alumni find in their careers and throughout their lives. Admission Information Concord College welcomes applications from men and women who are willing to work conscientiously and to regard the opportunity to attend college as a serious challenge. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications prior to June 1 of the fall semester in which they are to enroll. Even though an interview is not required, prospective students are encouraged to visit the Campus. Regular Admissions Students must meet the following requirements for entrance to Concord College: a. have an overall grade-point average of at least 2.00 (C) or higher or a composite score of 17 on the American College Testing Program (ACT) or 810 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT); b. complete the required high school units listed below at an approved secondary school: 4 English (including courses in grammar, composition and literature); 3 Social Studies (including U.S. History); 2 Mathematics (Algebra 1 and higher); 2 Laboratory Science (from biology, coordinated thematic science, chemistry, environmental earth science in grades 11 or 12, physics and other courses with a strong laboratory science orientation). We strongly recommend two units of foreign language and the remaining elective units should be chosen from such subjects as computer science, fine arts, humanities and typing (keyboarding); c. complete an application form; and d. arrange for official copies of high school credentials, the results of the American College Testing Program (ACT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and a satisfactory health form (after admission) to be forwarded to the Admissions Office. Applicants for admission who have been out of high school for more than five years or who meet our established GED requirements may be exempted from the specific high school curricular requirements. Applications from individuals who are not high school graduates will be considered only if they attain GED scores sufficient to qualify for the State’s high school equivalency certificate or diploma (state required scores at the time of testing). Such applicants must be seventeen years of age or past the age they would have been had they remained in high school until graduation and they must have been out of high school more than one year preceding their application. In-state and out-of-state applicants are considered under the same admission policy. Provisional admission may be granted in instances where institutional officials have evidence that the student has the potential to successfully complete college-level work. Transfer Students Students who want to transfer to Concord from another institution should apply as early as possible. The application must list any colleges or universities previously attended and the reasons for leaving each institution. Failure to do this is grounds for separation from Concord. The student must provide the Admissions Office with transcripts of all previous college work. The Registrar’s Office will then determine how many hours can be accepted in transfer, and what qualitative standards apply. A decision on admission will be made after a thorough evaluation of the student’s record, including consideration of any deficiency in quality points represented by grades at previous institutions. Transfer students shall not be admitted if they are deficient twenty or more quality points in their work at the institutions they previously attended unless there are extenuating circumstances. If accepted, such students will be admitted on a probational basis. Except in unusual and extenuating circumstances, transfer students must have been in good academic and social standing and be able to return to the institution from which they are transferring unless the student has been out of school for five years. A scale (Page 191) in this Catalog outlines the maximum quality-point deficit permitted to avoid academic probation. Any student on academic probation at the college previously attended will be assigned a probationary status for at least one semester of admission at Concord irrespective of quality-point standing. Once admitted to Concord, a student must have approval from the Registrar to transfer additional credits from other institutions. A satisfactory health form must be submitted after admission. Transfer students with fewer than 15 semester hours of college credits are required to attend an orientation session prior to registration in the fall. Transfer students with fewer than 30 semester hours of credit must submit their ACT or SAT scores and a copy of their high school transcript. Non-Degree Students Concord may admit students on a non-degree basis. By definition, such students are not seeking a certificate or degree. Such students must satisfactorily demonstrate to the admitting institution qualities making their success in the courses selected reasonably assured. Should such a non-matriculant wish to matriculate at Concord College, all applicable admission criteria must be met, including transcripts, GED, and ACT or SAT scores. After completing 15 hours credit, non-matriculated/special students will be subject to regular student academic requirements. Veterans Concord College makes a special effort to serve veterans. Veterans should contact the Veterans’ Affairs Office, located in the Financial Aid Office, prior to changing their schedules (adding or dropping courses). They must be sure that their course load is not reduced below the level for which they are being paid by the Veterans Administration. They also must enroll in courses that count toward graduation. Failure to comply with these regulations will affect veterans’ benefits and refunds must be made back to the start of the semester. Veterans may qualify for admission by achieving General Education Development (GED) test scores sufficient to qualify for the state’s high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Veterans are under the same grading practices as other enrolled students. Academic probation and academic suspension procedures are the same for all students. Persons receiving veterans’ benefits must maintain satisfactory progress as outlined in the law (38 USC 1674 or 1724). Veterans must declare their major field of interest upon the completion of their sophomore year in college (59 hours). Otherwise, they will not be able to make satisfactory progress toward graduation. A permanent record of the veteran’s academic record is maintained by the Registrar’s Office. This record is updated at the end of each semester. Veterans may check their records during posted working hours of the appropriate office. Enrolled veterans come under the same guidelines regarding conduct and conditions for dismissal for unsatisfactory conduct as other students. Classroom conduct and responsibilities are set forth in the Catalog. Students with more than one year of military service shall be granted a maximum of four semester hours as general electives in the field of physical education, of which two hours can be used to satisfy the General Studies requirement. Transfer credits for ROTC will be counted as general electives. Veterans are assigned an advisor to assist them with their academic planning; however, the Veterans’ Affairs Office, the Admissions Office, the Registrar’s Office, the Student Affairs Office, and other College personnel will assist in other areas of need. Advanced Placement West Virginia’s system of higher education has implemented policies which enable students who have successfully completed any advanced placement exams to receive credit at Concord and all other undergraduate institutions in the state system. Provisions of the policies include: 1. High school students completing advanced placement examinations of The College Board with a minimum score of 3 will receive credit at any institution in the higher education system in West Virginia; 2. When the examination is in the area of the student’s major, the institution will award credit toward the major or core curriculum; 3. An academic department within the institution, upon the approval of the institutional faculty, may require a higher score than 3 on an advanced placement test if the credit is to be used toward meeting a course requirement for a major in the department; and 4. Credits awarded by regionally accredited institutions of higher education for successful completion of advanced placement exams are transferable to institutions in the higher education system in West Virginia, in accordance with the advanced placement policy of the receiving institution. Listings of awards of advanced placement credit, minimum scores, number of credits awarded, and available course equivalents for each institution in West Virginia’s higher education system, are available in the Office of the Registrar. Credits are awarded after an official report is received and the student enrolls in the receiving institution. International Students Concord College considers qualified applicants from schools and colleges located outside the United States. International students may be admitted if they have satisfactory academic records with a minimum score of 500 (paper-based) and 173 (computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). International students must also submit official copies of the American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores. International applicants must submit official high school transcripts. If the student has atended a previous college, transcripts must be provided by the college. Applicants must provide documentation that indicates they can meet the financial responsibilities during the period of time they expect to be in residence. Students scoring less than the minimum score on the TOEFL will be considered for our English Language Training Program, operated by Concord College which provides intensive personalized instruction. For information on costs, contact the English Language Training Program Director in the Office of Student Affairs. High School Students Concord College is authorized to allow a limited number of talented and superior high school students to earn college credits prior to their graduation from high school. The credits earned will be held for the students until they become regular students at Concord, or the College will forward, upon request, transcripts to other colleges. Students who intend to continue their high school programs may seek conditional admission and request permission to enroll in college courses either during one or both summer terms or during the academic year. High school students may enroll during the summer for a full-time load of no more than seven hours each term. Qualifications for this program include the following criteria: a. completion of at least the sophomore year (8 units in the college preparatory curriculum) of high school; b. recommendation of a grade average of 3.00 or better in all academic subjects completed in high school; and c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor. High school students enrolling during the academic year, thus combining high school and college study, may enroll for no more than twelve hours each semester, depending upon the total student load. Qualifications for this program are as follows: a. completion of at least the sophomore year (8 units in the college preparatory curriculum of high school; b. recommendation of a grade average of 3.00 or better in all academic subjects completed in high school; and c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor. Advanced Admissions High school students may be granted, on occasion, full admission to the College and be granted permission to enroll for full-time study without completing the normal high school program. Applicants in this category will be expected to fulfill the following qualifications: a. at least a senior classification (completed at least 12 units in the college preparatory curriculum); b. a grade average and an ACT or comparable SAT score which yield a prediction factor indicating that each student has at least a seventy percent chance of earning a C or higher at Concord; and c. recommendation of the high school principal or counselor. Off-Campus Programs The admission requirements for off-campus students are the same as for regular admission to the College. Regents Bachelor of Arts Degree Admission to the West Virginia Board of Regents’ degree program is open to students who have graduated from high school at least four years ago. Admission to this degree program does not provide automatic admission to other programs in the College. For further information about the RBA program, see pages 15-16 of this Catalog. Transient Students Students seeking a degree at another institution may enroll for course work at Concord College. The appropriate transient approval form must be submitted by the parent institutions.