The highest elevation of any West Virginia college or university places Concord literally on top of it all. The park-like Concord campus spreads over 120 acres on a ridge of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains.

We're not isolated, though. An Appalachian Corridor four-lane highway (U.S. 460) and the West Virginia Turnpike (Interstate 77) intersect just six miles from Campus near Princeton. The regional population centers of Charleston, W.Va., and Roanoke, Va., are within easy driving distance. The Mercer County Airport, between Bluefield and Princeton, facilitates air travel.

You will also find that we're on top of what it takes to achieve a quality education, and that we provide a top notch social environment.

These pages give you a glimpse of Concord College. Before you make your decision on a college education, we invite you to visit our campus. Tour our fine facilities. Talk to our students and alumni about campus life. Discuss your academic opportunities with faculty and our Admissions professionals. We think you will join us on top of it all.

At Concord a diverse range of activities is presented to you, whatever your interests might be.

Exploring various opportunities helps develop individual life styles in harmony with dissimilar, even conflicting, opinions and feelings. Learning to care about others comes from sharing the pressure of a deadline, the responsibility of social leadership, the tension of an opening night, the heated debate of a student government policy, the joy of a win and the sorrow of a loss.

Your talents may find outlets in the Concord Commanders or ConChords musical groups, College Theatre productions, student art exhibitions, or on the intramural playing fields.

Your leadership may be called upon in service clubs, in numerous special interest organizations, or as part of the active Student Government Association.

The rich legacy of the past (and the best of the present) comes alive on stage through the Concord Artist-Lecture Series and our Big Name Concerts.

Exciting concerts by international talents such as Starship and Corey Hart enliven the campus scene.

Provocative, respected speakers bring their viewpoints into the campus dialogue.

Orchestras, national touring theatre companies, and world-traveling art exhibitions stop over in Athens.

Athletics at Concord build on a proud tradition. The Mountain Lion football squad and Lady Lions volleyball team own unequaled records for state championships and playoff appearances in the past decade. Other sports include softball, baseball, golf, and men's and women's basketball and tennis.

Nineteen buildings house your academic, recreational, and residential activities on the beautiful Concord campus. They rest on a ridge of the scenic Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of 2,600 feet.

Four thorough renovations in this decade are preparing our facilities for the years to come.

Following is a capsule description of some of our major buildings:

The J. Frank Marsh Library, key to academic support of students and faculty, offers a carefully selected collection of 146,887 volumes, subscriptions to 543 periodicals, 3,646 items of non-print media, and 15,368 microform items. A modern Learning Resources Center houses a darkroom, television studio, satellite downlink, and audio-visual services for campus.

The Oakey Logan Alexander Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, one of the finest facilities of its kind, incorporates separate areas for the study of visual arts, communications arts, and music. The Center is equipped with a comprehensive commercial art laboratory, spacious theatres, and a computerized newsroom.

Centennial Hall, opened in 1972, is a modern physical education center with two gymnasiums, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, squash and handball courts, weightlifting rooms, dance studio, and classrooms.

The College Center, a campus meeting place, includes the cafeteria, bookstore, ballroom, snack bar, and Subway entertainment area. Each semester students and staff of the Center arrange special programs for commuters and resident students alike, including coffeehouses, picnics, and group trips to area attractions.

Twin Towers Residence Halls are the homes for up to 668 men and women. Tower suites consist of two double rooms, a private bath, and foyer. Concord's three other residence halls and the College Courts (apartments for family living) provide additional residential options.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia beckons just beyond your doorstep.

On 120 acres of gentle campus terrain you will find an environment of quiet beauty when you need a break from study. The fragrant azaleas and dogwood blossoms in the spring; the soft comfort of a tree-shaded lawn on a hazy summer day; the bursting color of the maples in the fall; the breathtaking whiteness of a new snowfall among the Concord pines; all this helps to make Athens a memorable place for your higher education.

A list of area attractions follows:

WinterPlace ski resort, beside Interstate 77 about twenty miles from Concord, offers breathtaking slopes for day and night skiing, plus lifts, rental equipment, beginner trails, and complete snowmaking capabilities.

Pipestem Resort State Park, nine miles north of campus, features horseback riding, bicycling, two fine golf courses, archery, cross-country skiing, and outdoor and indoor swimming pools. A scenic aerial tramway runs down a thousand-foot-deep canyon, lined with miles of hiking trails.

Bluestone State Park, along the shores of the 2,000-acre Bluestone Lake near Hinton, is a magnet for campers, boaters, fishermen, and waterskiiers. The lake is the site each year for the West Virginia Water Festival. Bluestone, like Pipestem, offers fine hiking trails and recreational activities.

Thousands of whitewater rafters annually hurtle down challenging West Virginia rivers.

State and national forests and other sites of scenic interest are a short distance from Athens. The quiet pastures and mountainsides of southern West Virginia have nurtured a unique history predating the Revolutionary War and reflecting the hardy individualism of the farming and coal mining industries.

Community festivals, shopping malls, and even professional baseball franchises add to the colorful local attractions surrounding Concord.

Guide

*Six miles south to Princeton, nine miles north to Pipestem Resort Park

Your Concord degree means something. That simple statement rests on a complex framework of academic policies ensuring that you will receive a broad but thorough education. Concord affirms its status as a college, where learning is of paramount importance. Faculty and administrative resources at Concord will not be dissipated by the care and feeding of graduate and professional schools.

Long respected for the strength of its teacher preparation program, Concord will continue to meet the need for excellent classroom teachers both in the traditional classroom and in special fields such as a growing pre-school handicapped program.

Pre-professional education: Committed to a long tradition in the liberal arts, Concord prepares those aspiring to professions that require post-graduate education—law, ministry, social work, medicine and other health related fields. You sharpen thinking and communication skills while having the opportunity to reflect on the moral and ethical dimensions of today's world.

With the aid of the largest business department in southern West Virginia, Concord graduates are prepared to create jobs, see opportunities in the marketplace, and respond intelligently to business challenges.

Concord's career-oriented majors are relevant to today's and tomorrow's employment picture. Our popular four-year Travel Industry Management program is the only one of its kind in the state. In recent years strong programs have been launched in Communication Arts, Commercial Art/Advertising to complement continuing programs in the arts and sciences.

A complete list of degree offerings appears on the inside back cover.

Extensive field and internship experiences help Concord students stay on top of it all in the ever-changing job market. Many of our programs combine training in the classroom with these "on-the-job" placements, giving you the opportunity to apply and fully develop the skills you obtain in class.

Field experiences can in many ways be your best "teachers." They provide you with actual work experience, allow you to preview the daily operations of your chosen employment area, and often add a depth of extra understanding to your classroom subject matter.

Valuable Contacts: Working in the field allows you the opportunity to meet people already employed in your area of specialty and establish contacts with other professionals, both of which will be helpful when you graduate.

Edge in the Job Market: The experience you receive from your internships provides you with an edge when seeking your desired job. Employers are always looking to hire those with experience listed on their resumes. Often Concord students are offered continuing jobs before their internship even concludes.

Personal Help: If you need tips on how to interview for a job, what to put on a resume, or which field is right for you, the Office of Career Development and Placement can help. They also arrange appointments with government and private employers, and coordinate twice-yearly Teacher Recruitment Days.

Credit for Life Experience: If you've been accumulating relevant "real world" knowledge outside the traditional classroom, you can claim college credit for your efforts as part of the Regents' Bachelor of Arts (RBA) degree program. This option is designed for adults who cannot interrupt their work to attend college full-time. For further information contact the Associate Dean's Office.

Some of the programs featuring fieldwork or internships at Concord include Social Work, Commercial Art/Advertising, Travel Industry Management, Medical Technology, Business Administration, Communication Arts, and, of course, Education.

For over a century Concord has fulfilled the need for educating a new generation of leaders. We have assembled a competent, diverse faculty. We have assumed leadership roles in our region's economic development. We have begun innovative programs to improve our society through volunteerism.

Volunteers serving area needs such as adult literacy have formed the nationally recognized HAPIN group (Helping Aid People In Need). This program is the first such volunteer organization in the State.

Our Project New River enriches West Virginia high schools with college-level Advanced Placement classes, and encourages able students to excel through its annual Summer Academy on campus.

To help West Virginians make their college education possible, a group from Concord took steps—literally—in April 1988 to raise scholarship funds. Called the Quest for Scholars, this 162-mile hike raised thousands of dollars in pledges for miles walked. The College continues its drive to locate additional sources of scholarship support from donors and governmental sources both in- and out-of- state.

Approximately 60 percent of the Concord student body receives funds of some sort from our Financial Aid Office. This amounted to $3 million in the 1988-89 academic year.

You should work closely with your guidance counselor in completing the Financial Aid Form (FAF) from the College Scholarship Service so that the results will arrive at Concord by April 15 for the following fall. This multipurpose application must be submitted to apply for all federal, state, and institutional aid. (A separate College application is necessary for academic scholarships.)

(Third photo down at right): Student government leader Lisa Thompson and faculty member Mark Mesler deliver discarded cans to a county-run recycling facility.

The professionals in the Concord Admissions Office are ready to provide you with further details on specific degree programs, residence halls, or other areas of interest. You're encouraged to discuss your goals with them.

Students must meet the following admission requirements as approved by the state Board of Regents:

• have an overall high school grade point average of at least 2.00 (C) or better or a composite score of 14 or higher on the American College Testing (ACT) exam or a comparable score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT);
• complete a minimum of 17 high school units in grades nine through twelve (consult with your guidance counselor or our Admissions Office for a list of the necessary courses);
• complete our application form (no fee required); and
• arrange for copies of high school credentials, ACT or SAT results, and a satisfactory health form (after admission) to be forwarded to the Admissions Office.

If you left high school before graduating, you may still be admitted by qualifying for a high school equivalency diploma or certificate and by meeting certain other criteria set by Concord.

Superior high school seniors, upon the recommendation of their principal or counselor, may on occasion be permitted to enroll full-time at Concord without completing the normal high school program.

Concord welcomes transfer students. Credentials from all colleges previously attended must be forwarded for evaluation by the Registrar's Office. For this reason, transfer students should apply as early as possible.

Veterans: Concord College makes a special effort to serve former members of our armed forces. A Veteran's Affairs Officer within our financial aid operation works closely with other offices to assist your higher education efforts.

Degree Offerings

Concord College admits students of any race, color, sex, religion, and national or ethnic origin and does not discriminate on the basis of handicap in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities as specified in federal laws and regulations. The Personnel Officer is the designated coordinator for compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Photography Credits: Page 1, Melvin Grubb Photo, Bluefield, W.Va.; Page 4 (left), Page 12 (lower right), Marie Morrison; Page 6 (upper right, by David Fattaleah) and 7 (by Stephen Shaluta, Jr.), courtesy of W.Va. Department of Commerce; Page 16 (top) Don Brooke. All other photos by Amy Pitzer and Tom Bone, Concord College Public Information Office. Photo on the top of page 12 was arranged through the cooperation of Glenwood Park United Methodist Home, Princeton, W.Va.