ATHENS, W. Va. -Improvements are in the works at “The Campus Beautiful,” but to make that vision a reality, Concord University is asking for help from alumni and the community, as a new funding campaign went public on Saturday.
Alumni attending the Homecoming were the first to witness the unveiling of a new campaign to fund a series of improvements across the campus. “CU Ascend” is the first formal funding campaign held at the university in years… and was created to help Concord University maintain its reputation for excellence… with a committee formed to help identify the needed improvements.
“…We knew that students coming to look at Concord as a potential place to attend college had, in many cases, better science labs in their public schools, and we… came back into our meeting that afternoon, and we said, ‘This has got to be a priority,’” says Rosemary Carucci Goss, chair of the steering committee of the CU Ascend campaign.
CU Ascend has four main areas of focus: facility renewal, scholarships, academic excellence and faculty development, and the ‘Concord Fund,’ which goes to fill a variety of needs.
Kendra Boggess, the president of Concord University, says currently, forty-one percent of students graduate debt-free: a number they plan to grow.
“…Some students are, you know, they have a breakdown on their car and they have to leave school. We never want that to happen, so we have a lot of funds that help with that, but we want to make sure that we’re able to do more. We don’t want students to leave with debt,” says Boggess.
The funding goal of CU Ascend is twelve million dollars, with nine million already gathered. Those we spoke to say while this number might seem big, the hope is to, not only meet, but exceed this number, to help them continue to promote excellence in the area.
Rosemary Carucci Goss encourages the alumni to give back to the University who helped them get where they are today and also encourages the community and business leaders to contribute as well, calling Concord University a “major part” of the area’s economy.
You can find more information, including how to contribute, here.
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