Welcome to Concord University
The mission of Concord University is to improve the lives of our students and communities, through innovative teaching and learning, intellectual and creative activities, and community service and civic engagement.
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
Shannon Phipps
Nursing Major with Psychology Minor
Marcus Murrell '17
Admissions Counselor
Shawn Hatcher '20
Princeton, W.Va.
Bluefield, WV
Brian Arnold, a screenwriter living in Los Angeles, is proof that your degree from CU can be a foundation for achieving your dreams. As a Communication Arts graduate, Brian worked in telecommunications and broadcast journalism before taking a chance with screenwriting. “I knew I wouldn’t be happy until I gave writing a real shot,” Brian says. And while his degree wasn’t in film study, he says the electives he took at Concord gave him practical production experience that has helped him in his current career. “I got to make live TV. I got to make my own short films. I got to study screenwriting and film. And, more than that, my time at Concord helped me grow into a more mature, professional person ready to give the real world a shot.”
