Category Archives: Uncategorized

CDU serves as a co-credentialer of the Magis Institute’s Master Teacher Certification in Contemporary Apologetics. The curriculum prepares middle and high school teachers and catechists to teach students  some of the main areas of the faith and science dialogue that will help students maintain their faith and  use it to achieve higher levels of purpose in life and bring transcendent meaning to relationships and  suffering.  For more information, click here.

With a global pandemic forcing universities accustomed to in person classes to suddenly switch to online  courses, Catholic Distance University and the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU)  partnered to offer IFCU faculty members worldwide a course titled Teaching in a Digital World.

CDU’s faculty members eagerly shared their knowledge with colleagues around the world from Spain,  the Philippines, Belgium, Chile, Sierra Leone, Puerto Rico, Palestine, Congo DR, Indonesia, Spain, Italy,  Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, India, and Mexico, and other countries. The only exclusively online Catholic  university, CDU has been accredited to offer distance education since 1986 and has delivered online  programs for 20 years. Faculty members are well versed in best practices in online teaching and have  many years of successful teaching experience in the online environment.

The 4-week, 10-hour course, which was offered several times in 2020, features Dr. Marie Nuar, Dr. Peter  Brown, Alissa Thorell, and Kathy Vestermark presenting various elements of online teaching. President  Dr. Marianne Evans Mount taught the theory, research, pedagogy, and theology of distance education.  Other topics covered included practical techniques of best practices for successful teaching online,  course design, use of media, interaction, and student support. During the course, participants were able  to develop a course of their own design on the Canvas learning platform and have many opportunities  to dialogue with CDU faculty. The course was offered several times in 2020.

Many faculty members accustomed to classroom teaching find the online environment a challenge both  for themselves and for their students. Teaching in a Digital World was designed to impart faculty  members with the expertise and knowledge they need to teach online with confidence while fostering  interaction, engagement, and strong learning outcomes for students.

The course was such a success that it will be offered six times in 2021 and 2022 to faculty members at  Catholic universities worldwide.

Despite the challenges of being incarcerated, many of our brothers and sisters behind bars are using  their time to learn and grow in their faith thanks to an online prison tablet education program, which is  now in 100+ prisons across the nation thanks to a partnership between CDU and the Edovo Corporation.  Enrollments in free digital courses created by CDU and offered on tablets provided by the Edovo  Corporation grew 110% in 2020 to 345,000 free lessons taken.

CDU offers 30 courses in English, seven in Spanish, and three certificates programs to the incarcerated through the Edovo tablets. New courses to keep incarcerated students engaged and growing in faith will  continue to be developed. Since many prisons do not have Catholic chaplains, CDU is developing online  certificate programs to form faithful leaders behind prison walls to support this ever-growing, isolated  population.

Professor Alissa Thorell has been named faculty advisor for Student Life, a role in which she will act as a liaison between Student Life and the Faculty and participate in both Faculty meetings and Student Life cohorts. As faculty advisor to the Student Life Co-Curricular Programs, Dr. Thorell will respond to questions, engage in the Theological Conversations discussion board, and host a weekly video office hour. Working with the Student Life team, she will evaluate student involvement, address the needs of students and faculty, and assist with planning additional co-curricular offerings for students such as colloquia, symposiums, and more. Dr. Thorell is a vibrant leader who will continue to innovate and improve CDU’s online engagement.

Who among us did not celebrate the end of 2020? Even if we enjoyed good health and had not lost loved ones and friends to COVID, we all welcomed the new year with great hope for the end of the pandemic and a return to normal life. We are still very hopeful as we begin the holy season of Lent.

While the CDU headquarters in Charles Town is generally quiet these days with only our IT director, director of operations, and local staff onsite, most of us are working from home. Our university chapel remains quiet with the red sanctuary light reminding us that our Lord Jesus is present and watching over CDU even with very few staff there to offer worship and love.

The work of CDU continues, and the staff are at home with technology and daily meetings via Zoom and Google Meet. The Board of Trustees is preparing for transition as we welcome Mr. Stephen Pryor as Board chair on March 15, 2021. The staff leadership is finishing an implementation plan for the first year of our new 3.5 year strategic plan, which focuses on growth and financial sustainability, institutional effectiveness, and program development. With new staff and procedures in admissions, we have seen 11% growth in student enrollment in the last few terms. The implementation of Populi, the new cloud-based student information system, is moving forward and will be ready to launch by the end of June.

CDU’s partnership with the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) will continue as CDU teaches international faculty to excel in distance education and online pedagogy. Faculty at universities in the Philippines will take the next training module in April. Two additional modules are planned for universities in other global regions in 2021.

With so much energy and hard work devoted to accreditors in 2020, we now await the decisions of their accrediting boards in late February and early March. The Student Life Center that is home to our co-curricular programs has added significant activities and opportunities for student interaction. One of our students’ favorite instructors, Alissa Thorell, a moral theologian, serves as faculty advisor to Student Life. She works with Mary McKay, director of Student Life, to oversee the programs and assessment.

I could not mention Student Life without thanking George Muñoz for stepping up as alumni president. He is a recent MA graduate who is planning a great event for alumni and the university. Stay tuned! We are also reaching out to alumni to help support our fundraising goals.

Finally, the new year has also reminded us that we live in the shadow of the cross. Our longtime board leader, brilliant strategic thinker, benefactor, friend, nuclear physicist, business executive, and cheerleader for this university and its mission, Dr. Joseph V. Braddock, stepped into eternity very quietly on Saturday, February 6. We keep bombarding him with intentions and favors, and we have great confidence that he continues to work overtime to ensure the success of this unique university.

May the entire CDU community encounter our Lord in life-changing ways in this Lenten journey of 2021.

The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) has named Director of the Diocese of Portland’s Office of Lifelong Faith Formation, Lori Dahlhoff, EdD, to its board of directors. Dahlhoff, who has more than 20 years of experience in catechetical ministry at the parish, diocesan, and national levels, has served the diocese in her current position since 2017. Prior to her arrival in Maine, she served as an adjunct faculty member at CDU. She designed and instructed an online graduate course titled “Principles of Catholic Education.” Join us in congratulating Lori and praying for her in her new role.