COVID-19 CDU Community Update
Be assured that Catholic Distance University remains fully operational, and there will be no disruption to educational services or contact with our staff or faculty. Until further notice, staff will work remotely. We encourage you to communicate with us by email to ensure a prompt response. Staff will continue to receive phone calls and voicemail, but mail will be checked only occasionally. We pray that you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy during this unprecedented time. University officials will continue to post any updates here.
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FEATURED SPOTLIGHT

CDU Celebrates 40 years, honors the past, and looks to the future
Dr. Maria Sophia Aguirre named CDU’s next president
After announcing her retirement last year, Dr. Marianne Evans Mount passed the reins of the Office of the President to someone new. Dr. Mount was involved in CDU leadership in many capacities before becoming president in 2008. Her passion to see the university succeed has influenced her to remain involved in the university, including by becoming a trustee of the Board. Following a wide search full of talented candidates at the top of their field, Dr. Maria Sophia Aguirre was selected as the new president of CDU in June 2023. A dynamic, leading-edge addition to the university, Dr. Aguirre is a visionary who is equipped and ready to carry the university into the future.The premier Catholic online university of the future
Dr. Aguirre’s remarks at the gala called to mind the opportunity that higher education has at this moment in time. She announced that program offerings will expand and diversify in the next five years to include disciplines in Artificial Intelligence, virtual reality, education, economics, and big data – all taught through a theologically sound lens. The university will also begin to offer more programs in Spanish and its first program in Italian in its efforts to grow in both Latin America and Italy. “There is a great need to prepare people capable of engaging in new technologies while being firmly rooted in a sound Christian anthropology and a solid intellectual and spiritual formation. Scientists who are working in these fields see the need for a university such as ours to fill this void, and they are excited about collaborating with us. The new degrees will help our students widen their impact by preparing them to take leadership roles in fields that are in great need of recuperating the meaning of the human person, of social life, and culture,” Aguirre said. In addition to the new programs, the university is planning to create a new center for research dissemination. “We will seek to reach a wider audience, thematically and geographically, with our unique online model,” Aguirre said. “We will expand so as to meet a demand in high-growing markets that thirst for what CDU has to offer. If we don’t seize the moment now, it will be gone.”Catholic Distance University renamed Catholic International University to align with the evolution of the institution
It was also announced that the university’s name will be changed to Catholic International University to more closely align with the future evolution of the mission of the college. “We are person-centered, we want every interaction to be a point of encounter because we see the “I” and the “you” in everything we do.”-commented Aguirre.High achievement for the university
This year, CDU was ranked fourth among the top online theology programs by Forbes, CDU being the top Catholic online theology program. The Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts degree was ranked 17th out of 3,000 online programs by Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for higher education program rankings and planning. The gala highlighted all of these achievements and more, all while celebrating the class of 2023 graduates.
Theology Faculty Member David Bonagura, Jr., Publishes New Book

Catholic School Teacher Reflects on the Fruits of a CDU Education
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