Academic Development

Our Mission
The Center for Academic and Career Development works with students individually to help achieve their academic, personal, and career goals. We work in collaboration with each student to develop good study skills and to enhance academic success. 

CACD History
Beginning in August 2008, Concord established the Academic Success Center (ASC) to coordinate various campus retention efforts. In th e summer of 2019 the ASC merged with Career Services to form the Center for Academic and Career Development (CACD). Under the administrative purview of Student Affairs, the ASC is a “one-stop-shop” for students requiring support services.  The CACD provides direct and referral services for tutoring, advising, financial aid, payment issues, housing, and other impediments that interfere with academic progression.

 Specifically, the CACD provides the following services, either directly or through referral:

• Academic advising for undecided majors
• Academic coaching for all freshmen
• Coordination of the SMARTHINKING online tutoring program, piloted in 2008-09 with continued use through the present
• Drop-in tutoring (schedule)
• Coordination and evaluation of UNIV 100 CU Foundations course and UNIV 400 Peer Mentor course
• Coordination of the Parents Club
• Counseling and interviewing students who withdraw from the University
• Liaison services for students with Admissions, Business, Registrar, Financial Aid, and Technology Offices
• Participation/organization of early advising efforts for incoming students
• Resource for faculty/staff

CU students who are on Academic Probation, or who have been provisionally admitted to CU, are required to participate in the Academic Momentum Program (AMP). Some students who are on Continued Academic Probation are required to participate in weekly Academic Coaching with a CACD staff member. However, we welcome any CU student who feels he/she would benefit from Academic Coaching to visit us and set up coaching appointments! Sessions usually last 10-20 minutes. CACD staff members can help you come up with a plan for succeeding in your courses each semester, develop study strategies and a time management plan, and learn organizational, goal setting, and self-management skills - and these are just a few of the things we can help with! 

If you are required to participate in Academic Coaching with us, you can view more information here. 
If you are required to participate in AMP, you can view more information here. 
If you are required to participate in Academic Coaching with us and have previously participated in AMP, you can view more information here. 

Visit us in Student Center Suite 1, ground floor by Subway Stage, anytime Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM! We welcome walk-ins or appointments! 
 

Need Credits? Consider CLEP!

If you are running short on hours to stay in line with our "15 to Finish" program to graduate in 4 years, or to fulfill requirements for continued financial aid, you might consider taking a CLEP examination. CLEP is a great resource, even if you're only short one credit hour!

What is CLEP? 

The College-Level Examination Program allows students to earn college credit for certain courses by taking and passing a computer-based examination. There are currently 33 examinations that CU gives credit for. A passing score on just one CLEP exam can save a student 100+ hours of class time and coursework, and hundreds of dollars in tuition! 

How Can I Take a CLEP Exam? 

Register for the exam at http://clep.collegeboard.org. 

When you register-pay for the test, be sure to indicate you will take the test at Concord University and you want the scores sent to us. Then, contact our testing center to schedule your test. 

The tests are administered in the CLEP Test room, Marsh Hall 228. Pleae contact Teresa Frey at 304-384-5226 or email teresafrey@concord.edu to arrange the test date and time. On test day please bring your test registration ticket and one form of identification (you may use your university ID). 

A complete list of what CU course credit is given for each exam can be found here. 

FREE Resources

https://modernstates.org/ 
Modern States Information    
http://www.dynamicpath.com/
www.hippocampus.org
http://www.free-clep-prep.com
http://www.khanacademy.org
http://www.practicequiz.com/
http://quizlet.com/
http://studenthacks.org/

 

 

Concord publishes a list of Courses Offered online each semester. This list will be made available to students shortly before the advising period begins each semester. 

Check the course descriptions in the Academic Catalog to see descriptions of courses and whether or not they have prerequisites.

Each major/department has Four-Year Plans and Progression Sheets, which provide a recommended road map of what classes to take and when.
 
The CACD can help you create a trial schedule before you meet with your advisor. Stop in and see us!
 

Take what you need - Share what you can. 

Rahall Technology Center Atrium - by the sand volleyball court

The ASC began the CU Food Pantry in Fall 2016 to provide CU students who may not always have the resources with food or other essential items. In summer 2019 the Office of Veterans Affairs took over the management of the pantry. If a student is hungry, it is unlikely he or she is able to focus on doing what it takes to be a successful college student. Ensuring that students do not go hungry is one additional way we support our students at Concord!

 

How can you donate? 

Students and community members can bring non-perishable food items, toiletry items, or school supplies for college students to the Veterans Lounge, in Rahall off the Atrium. If we aren't open, leave donations on top of the food pantry cabinets! You can also donate money to the food pantry online through the CU Foundation. All donations are used specifically for the ongoing support of the CU Food Pantry. 

** Please check the dates on items you are donating - we cannot put out expired food items. 

What kinds of items do we need?

We strive to stock items in our food pantry that provide well-rounded meal options for our students. Helpful items include:

• Soups
• Pasta
• Rice
• Microwaveable meals
• Mac-n-Cheese
• Fruit cups
• Veggie cups

We also accept toiletry items and school supplies, including:

• Deoderant
• Shampoo
• Feminine hygiene products
• Toothpaste
• Notebooks
• Binders

CU Gap Fund

 

The Concord University Gap Fund is a grant dedicated to providing small awards to undergraduate Concord students who have high unmet need or who find themselves in a financial situation that may lead to their dropping out. Many colleges and universities around the country have such funds for students in these difficult economic times. One national report on these new emergency/mini grant funds explains that the rising cost of a college education "often leaves students strapped for cash and without the financial resources necessary to succeed in school and cover their basic needs, such as housing and food. These students are living on the edge, and a financial emergency can derail their dreams of obtaining college degrees. The contemporary financial aid system may not be nimble enough to respond to the nature or urgency of a student’s financial emergency.” This is where the CU Gap Fund helps our students. 

Eligibility/Process

• Student must:
  • Be a currently enrolled Concord University undergraduate student in at least 12 credit hours;
  • Complete a short application including an explanation of the need for the emergency grant (and any relevant documentation). Examples of what constitutes allowable expenses include medical expenses, living expenses, transportation, childcare, schooling cost (not including textbooks); and
  • Not exceed the $1000 lifetime limit on CU Gap Funds. 
• The CU Foundation will disburse funds to the students

Our goal is to disburse funds within five days of the receipt of the application. 

Donations

Donations to the CU Gap Fund can be made online through the CU Foundation. 
 

Academic and Financial Aid Appeal Form
Academic Exception Form (Graduate & Undergraduate)
Declaration of Degree/Major Form
FERPA/Information Release
Grade Appeal Form
Online Withdrawal Form
Transient Request Form

Counseling Center
Parents Club
Student Affairs
Student Support Services
Veterans

At Concord we understand that a students may be unsure of what they want to major in when first entering college – and that’s ok! For those students who are undecided, we have a structure in place to provide guided exploration of all that Concord has to offer. Our Career Pathways program encourages exploration of the opportunities available in large areas of interest while staying on track for degree completion. By the end of the first year, students will be prepared to transition into any degree program at CU that falls under their chosen Career Pathway!
 
For more details about the different Career Pathways offered at CU, click here.