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Concord University Offering Cyber Security Degree

Concord has had a cyber security emphasis in its computer science major for several years and is seeing an increased demand for a cyber security emphasis.

This fall, Concord University is offering a new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Lonnie Bowe, assistant professor of computer science, said the school has had a cyber security emphasis in its computer science major for several years, and is seeing an increased demand for a cyber security emphasis.

“This is an innovative, in-demand program,” Bowe said. “We’re proud and excited to bring it to southern West Virginia. There has been a growing demand for this from both students, government officials and the industry. Our caring and dedicated faculty look forward to launching students into new careers for years to come.”

The Concord announcement comes the same week Marshall University received $45 million in taxpayer dollars to go towards its new Institute of Cyber Security.

Bowe said while Marshall’s program is focused on cyber and digital forensics, Concord’s program is keyed to increasing software security.

“We did a lot of research,” Bowe said. “We looked up standards from the National Security Association, from professional associations like the Association for Computing Machinery, and put together all their recommendations in building out our senior level advanced classes.”

Bowe said it was important to give local southern West Virginia residents local access to this job generating education.

“We have a lot of first generation students who don’t want to go very far from home,” he said. “We also have people who are in the workforce and wanting to come back, and they can’t just up and leave their families to drive to Huntington. So being able to have access an hour or so from where they live is really important.”

Bowe said a Concord B.A. in cyber security can be a pathway to Marshall University’s cybersecurity masters degree program.

Federal Funds To Address Mental Health In Schools

The programs will be funded over the next five years by $10 million from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

The first round of funding for an ambitious national mental health program has been announced.

Last month, both Concord University and West Virginia University announced the creation of programs designed to put more counselors in schools across West Virginia.

The programs will be funded over the next five years by $10 million from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. President Joe Biden signed the measure into law last June to tackle the mental health crisis in schools.

The program has increased the number of school social workers by nearly 50 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. School counselors and psychologists are both up 10 percent and school nurses are up 42 percent.

The state Department of Education estimates more than 150 new school-based mental health professionals will be hired in West Virginia with the program’s investments.

The department also announced up to $2.6 million in funding for a new Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center to support grantees in meeting the goals of their grant. This center will help identify and develop resources to support grantees in addressing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of PreK-12 students and staff.

The center will also provide support to the field more broadly – to grantees and beyond – by disseminating best practices in recruiting, training, placing, and retaining school-based mental health services providers.

Concord Will Use Federal Funds To Address Mental Health In Schools

There is a dramatic need for more social workers in schools, and one state university is creating a program to help.

Over the next five years, Concord University will receive close to $5 million from the U.S. Department of Education Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program.

The money will help create the CU in Schools program, which will place 40 Masters in Social Work (MSW) students in high-need education agencies across the state to complete their advanced-year field placements.

Scott Inghram, the Masters of Social Work program director and chair of the Social Work and Sociology department, said the program is the result of a collaborative effort.

“We’ve had support from the West Virginia Department of Education. We’ve also partnered with West Virginia State University to try to make this program as successful as we can,” Inghram said.

Inghram said that upon completion of their placement, graduate students will be employment ready and should be able to practice in the same high need school in which they were placed.

“There are incentives for the students to participate, including full tuition and stipends for their internship or their practicum,” he said. “There’s also incentives for the counties to hire our graduates once they’ve completed our program.”

Shawn Allen, an associate professor of social work at Concord, said the need for social workers is high across the country, but especially in West Virginia.

“The recommended national ratio for students to social workers in schools is one social worker for every 250 students. In West Virginia right now, the ratio is one social worker for every 15,433 students,” Allen said. “When we saw the opportunity for this funding, we knew that it would be a great way to try to help meet some of that need.”

Social workers provide services to school systems including advocating for students, assessment of student and family needs and therapeutic interventions related to mental health and substance misuse services.

“When you look at the national data, a lot of the things that they say are missing, social workers can provide,” Allen said. “Our graduates, when they finish our program, they’re employment ready. Really, they can slide right in and help meet that need, linking kids to resources and their families to resources that they might need.”

According to a study released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2022, there was a 23 percent increase in the percentage of children with anxiety or depression in West Virginia between 2016 and 2020.

Concord University Set For Second Annual Esports Summer Camp

Esports are competitive, multiplayer video games played at a high level. They’ve grown in popularity as a spectator sport through online streaming.

Concord University in Athens is hosting a summer camp that aims to create more interest in its esports programs. It’s the second annual such event.

Esports are competitive, multiplayer video games played at a high level. They have grown in popularity as a spectator sport through online streaming.

Concord created its varsity esports program in 2019 as the first of its kind in the state. That came alongside the creation of an Esports Management major.

“The big thing for us is getting West Virginia on the map,” University Esports Director Austin Clay said in a 2021 interview. “It’s nice to know that even a small college with only 2,000 kids attending can get nationally recognized.”

The summer camp is set to teach local students lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, communication and leadership through competition in video games like Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. A tournament for the recently released Overwatch 2 is also scheduled on the last day of camp.

The camp also includes speakers involved in professional esports and time for outdoor play.

A camp for younger kids aged 9 to 13 is scheduled from June 19-23, while a camp for those aged 14 to 18 is scheduled from June 28-30. The cost to attend is $225.
Those interested in registering can do so online or email jsrose@concord.edu or akclay@concord.edu for more information.

Concord And WVSU Partner To Offer A Fast Path To Social Work

A partnership between two of West Virginia’s universities allows students pursuing their master’s degree in social work a seamless transition from undergraduate studies.

West Virginia State University’s (WVSU) Department of Social Work is partnering with Concord University’s Master of Social Work program to allow undergraduates to transfer to the graduate program easily.

WVSU advisors will counsel students to enroll in prerequisite social work courses at WVSU that have been accepted by Concord’s Master of Social Work program.

Kerri Steele, dean of the College of Professional Studies and chair of the Social Work Department at WVSU, is excited to offer students this route to higher education.

“We’re excited to partner with Concord University on this amazing opportunity for our students to continue their educational journey and become very capable and qualified master’s level social workers, which are so needed in West Virginia,” Steele said.

To assist students in their transfer, Concord will waive the application fee and reserve a set number of seats for qualifying WVSU Bachelor of Social Work graduates each year into its master’s program.

Qualifying students must have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher, with a 3.0 or higher in social work courses at WVSU to apply for admission to Concord’s Master of Social Work program.

Scott Inghram, director of Concord’s MSW program and chair of the Department of Social Work and Sociology, said the collaboration solidifies a long-standing partnership with WVSU.

“We are confident that this is just one among many steps in a joint venture to strengthen our communities through exemplary educational efforts,” Inghram said.

To apply, students must submit a transcript, three letters of reference, and a personal statement addressing the criteria requested for the program.

Student Anxiety Spurs Concord To Hire Additional Counselor For Students

Concord University hired a second counselor after finding high rates of anxiety, loneliness and depression in students and seeing an increase in demand for counseling services.

“It’s really heartbreaking to know that our students are struggling,” Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Sarah Beasley said. “We want to be able to provide whatever services we can to help them be successful students, both on campus and off campus after they’ve graduated from Concord.”

In 2021, Concord began a comprehensive mental health initiative that included the creation of a mindfulness room, a mental health committee and educational workshops.

“We saw a real demand for mental health counseling on campus,” Beasley said. “We had a waitlist of students who needed help.”

Every two years, colleges across the country participate in the National College Health Assessment. At Concord, more than 25 percent of students scored high on the suicide behavior survey.

Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students

“We saw things like anxiety and depression, high rates of those on campus and knew we needed to get our students more help,” Beasley said. “So we were able to hire a second counselor, who also teaches within our social work program, too.”

The newly hired counselor will also teach classes within the Social Work Department.

“It’s the right thing to do to provide those services to students, but it also helps with retention,” Beasley said. “If students aren’t mentally healthy, then they’re not going to be successful in the classroom, they’re more likely to stay on campus.”

Across the country mental health needs for students are rising.

“I think most [in higher education] would say one of the number one issues outside the classroom is mental health issues,” Beasley said. “Unfortunately, we tend to see a bit higher rates of mental health issues, given the population in southern West Virginia, and some of the issues surrounding poverty and more folks here have experienced adverse childhood experiences, which can lead to mental health issues.”

The demand for more mental health services could also indicate a more accepting culture towards these services though Beasley says there’s still more work to do.