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
Dr. Joan Pendergast
Chair, Department of Social Work and Title IX Coordinator
Dr. Thomas McKenna
Professor of Philosophy and History
Josie Crawford '24
Biology Major with Biomedical Sciences Emphasis
Health Science Major
A native of Lewisburg, Josi Ervin is majoring in Health Science, with a goal to attend PA school. Josi has always worked hard to be successful in school, and she loves all of her Concord professors. She plays on the Concord softball team, and is a Bonner scholar. In the summer of 2024, she worked as a youth camp counselor in Greenbrier County as part of her Bonner scholarship experience. She says of the experience, “I absolutely loved working there as I got to watch kids come in and have the week of their life! They get to come in and really just be kids with no other worries. I really felt like it made a difference as I got to serve others all summer!” When asked about her most memorable experience at CU, she mentions a time when the campus was covered in snow, and everyone went sledding in the valley. She’s been a member of 4-H since she was 8 years old, and has played sports all of her life.
