Concord University is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Athens, West Virginia Athens is a town in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 944 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578. Athens is the home of Concord University. History The ...

. The institution traces back to February 28, 1872, when the

West Virginia Legislature The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI ...

passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in the County of Mercer." The normal school was founded by veterans of both the Union and the Confederacy. It was aptly named "Concord" to embody the ideals of harmony and fellowship in the post-Civil War era. Concord University is renowned for its picturesque campus, often dubbed "The Campus Beautiful." It offers a distinctive learning environment on a scenic knoll overlooking the Appalachian mountains. In addition to its main campus in Athens, Concord University also operates a teaching center and conducts classes in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

, extending its educational reach within the region.

History

Founded as a normal school dedicated to teacher preparation, its journey reflects the broader development of regional colleges in the United States, transitioning from a localized institute to a comprehensive university.

Foundation

The genesis of Concord University goes back to February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia State Legislature officially established a Branch State Normal School in the community then known as "Concord Church." The residents chose the name "Concord" to symbolize harmony and fellowship, a poignant reflection of the post-Civil War era in which it was founded. Despite the initial legislative act, a lack of immediate state funding meant that local efforts by five prominent families were instrumental in securing land and constructing a rudimentary building. Classes at the newly established institution officially commenced on May 10, 1875, welcoming an inaugural class of 70 students. Early years were marked by dedication and community support. A significant milestone occurred in 1887 when the West Virginia legislators finally appropriated state funds to construct a new, more substantial brick building erected on the present Athens Middle School site. This expansion underscored the state's growing commitment to public education. In 1896, a practical challenge led to a symbolic change: due to confusion with another post office named "Concord" in Hampshire County, West Virginia, the town's name was officially changed to "Athens." This renaming was a deliberate nod to the ancient Greek city, renowned as a center of learning and culture, thus aligning with the aspirations of the burgeoning educational institution. Despite the town's name change, the school retained its original designation, "Concord."

Expansion and name change

The turn of the century brought both challenges and further development. A devastating fire in 1910 destroyed the original brick building, necessitating a complete relocation of the campus to its current, elevated site. Initially known as "Old Main," a new building was erected in 1912. This iconic structure is still a central feature of the campus and is now recognized as Marsh Hall. The post-World War I era ushered in a period of significant expansion. Beginning in 1918, Concord saw the construction of new residence halls and a gymnasium, signaling a broadening of its facilities. Concurrently, its academic programs underwent substantial upgrades, moving beyond purely secondary-level instruction. This period also saw shifts in its official designation, reflecting its evolving mission. In 1931, the institution's name was changed to "Concord State Teachers College," solidifying its role in preparing educators for West Virginia's schools. This year marked a significant achievement as the institution gained full national accreditation. World War II brought unique changes to the campus. In 1943, the institution's name was shortened to "Concord College," its facilities were temporarily utilized by the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

15th College Training Detachment. This program trained young soldiers as Army Pilots, integrating military and academic credit. Following the war, in 1945, substantial postwar enrollment growth and a significant physical plant expansion began, including constructing a new Science Building. The period up to 1959 saw continued campus growth with the addition of the College Center, new student and faculty housing, and an expansion of the curriculum, emphasizing academic quality and fostering a more cosmopolitan faculty.

Growth and university status

The latter half of the 20th century presented new challenges and opportunities for Concord. In 1973, a proposal emerged from the West Virginia Board of Regents and the State Legislature to merge Concord College with nearby Bluefield State College. However, even the proposed administrative merger proved contentious and was ultimately abandoned in 1976. Following the cessation of merger plans, Concord experienced a notable increase in enrollment, accompanied by the introduction of various new academic programs. The institution continued to adapt to the changing landscape of higher education. A pivotal moment in its modern history arrived in 2004 when Concord College officially transitioned to "Concord University." This renaming reflected its expanded academic offerings, graduate programs, and growing regional significance, signaling a new chapter in its long-standing commitment to education in southern West Virginia.

Academics

Concord offers numerous undergraduate programs in 11 emphasis areas and six graduate programs: Master of Education, Master of Social Work, Master of Arts in Health Promotion, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Athletic Training, and Master of Business Administration.

Colleges and departments

The university is organized into three units: *College of Professional and Liberal Studies *College of Science, Mathematics, and Health *Graduate Studies

Facilities

Concord University's campus features numerous buildings and facilities. *The majority of administrative offices, as well as the

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

languages Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

divisions, are located in Marsh Hall (known as "Admin" on campus). Marsh Hall also features a 48-bell

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

atop the building. *The Science Building, attached to Marsh Hall, houses science laboratories and the

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

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. *The Alexander Fine Arts Center, home to the

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

division, features the Main Auditorium,

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, H.C. Paul

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, art laboratories, classrooms, and the office of the student newspaper. *The Carter Center houses the university's two gymnasiums, athletic offices, classrooms,

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...

courts, and indoor athletic facilities. *The Student Center includes a

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food Vendor, vendors and provides a common area for self-serve di ...

student government A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...

office, student support offices, mail office, and

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

offices. The Student Center also features a

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

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 Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

offices, receiving station, and maintenance facilities. Witherspoon Park features faculty housing. *The

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

's House and

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

's House as well as other homes are located on campus. *The campus features an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

. *The university has 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 A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

, copying services, a juvenile section, and the university's

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

. In the basement of the library, the university has its Center for Academic Technologies, which features a

television studio A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

and studio, a

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

laboratory, as well as

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

and technology classrooms. *Outdoor athletic facilities include Callaghan Stadium featuring an

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

field funded by June O. Shott. Callaghan Stadium also features

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

facilities, tennis courts, and a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

practice field. Anderson Field, located on the outskirts of the campus, features the

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

field and

field. *Five main

residence halls A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

: 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. It is the home of the Division of Business, the Entrepreneurial Studies Program, the Center for Academic Technologies, and the university computer center. This $14 million project is a central location for McDowell,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, Fayette, Greenbrier, Summers, Mercer and

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

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

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

ial advantages for Southern West Virginia. *The University Point facility, housing the Erickson Alumni Center, as well as the Wilkes Family Interfaith Chapel and Museum.

Other campuses

Concord University's main campus is located in

. The university also operates in a center near Beckley. The facility was established to coordinate the public colleges serving the region with five founding institutions. US Senator Robert C. Byrd secured $10 million from the US Department of Health and Human Services to develop the campus and begin building the facility. It is named the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center (after the deceased spouse of Senator Byrd) in

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

. The center was designed to also serve as a catalyst to attract business and industry to the area. Concord University's 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 Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 163 collegiate chapters in the United States and C ...

, Alpha Sigma Alpha,

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority. It was established in 1898 at what is now Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, Farmville, Virginia.The so ...

, Phi Alpha Delta,

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a national Mixed-sex education, coeducational Service fraternities and sororities, service Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It is the largest College fraterniti ...

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternities and sororities, fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, maki ...

, Phi Sigma Phi,

Sigma Tau Delta Sigma Tau Delta () is a US-based, international honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 770 chapters in the Unite ...

, Alpha Sigma Tau, Gay-Straight Alliance,

College Republicans College Republicans is an umbrella term that describes college and university students who support the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is the oldest campus- ...

, 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 if they would like to ability to vote in the Student Senate and obtain budgetary privileges to request funds from the Student Government's Discretionary fund. The Student Government at Concord University is especially advanced 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. The Student Government is also one of few student governments in the state of West Virginia that have a voting member on the university's Board of Governors.

Residence life

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 a shortage of housing, men lived on the first floor. The other two halls are Wilson for women and Woodell, nicknamed "The Woo," for men. 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. The North and South Towers complex underwent a major renovation, which was completed in 2017. As of the fall semester of 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 men and women living on separate floors.

Athletics

Concord University, known athletically as the ''Mountain Lions'', is home to many intercollegiate and

intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...

athletics teams. The men's intercollegiate teams include: baseball, basketball, football, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field. The women's intercollegiate teams include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and track and field. Concord University is an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

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.

People

Notable alumni

* Ronald J. Bacigal, professor of law, University of Richmond School of Law *

Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A Democratic Pa ...

, US Senator from West Virginia * Don Caruth, West Virginia politician * Phil Conley, West Virginian historian, author, and teacher *

Creigh Deeds Robert Creigh Deeds (; born January 4, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Senate of Virginia representing the 11th district since 2024, and previously the 25th district since 2001. Previously, he was the Dem ...

, Virginia state senator * Alexander Harman, Justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrativ ...

* Kahlil Joseph, film, television, and stage actor as well as a teacher of performing arts * Jackson L. Kiser,

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in case citations, W.D. Va.) is a United States district court. Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth ...

* Christy Martin, world champion boxer * Bret Munsey,

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

coach * Daniel Richards, professional wrestler * Freida J. Riley, teacher who influenced the Rocket Boys, subjects of the movie '' October Sky'' * Josh Stowers, member, West Virginia House of Delegates

Gallery

File:Concord University Library.jpg, Concord University Library File:ConcordUniversityScienceHallEntrance.jpg, Entrance to the Science Hall File:ConcordUniversityArtBuilding.jpg, Art Building and part of the Theatre on the left File:Concord University Student Center.jpg, Student Center on the Athens campus File:Nick Rayhall Tech Center New Front.JPG, Nick J. Rahall Center File:Concord University 2011 University Point.jpg, University Point File:Concord University Mountain Lion.jpg, A mountain lion in front of the library File:WV- Erma Byrd Center front.JPG, The Erma Byrd Higher Education Center File:ConcordUniversityNorthAndSouthTowers.jpg, Residence halls, the North and South Towers File:Concord University Marsh Hall Bell Tower.jpg, Marsh Hall and its bell tower

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Coord, 37, 25, 32, N, 81, 0, 16, W, type:edu_region:US_dim:2000, display=title Buildings and structures in Mercer County, West Virginia Public universities and colleges in West Virginia 1872 establishments in West Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1872 Athens, West Virginia Education in Mercer County, West Virginia