Longtime Catholic Distance University President Marianne Evans Mount will retire at the end of the 2022–23 academic year. She has served CDU since 1983 in a variety of roles. She has been president since 2008 after earning her doctorate at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge shared his “deep appreciation for the dedicated service and enthusiastic vision of Dr. Marianne Mount who is one of the most fundamental reasons for the success of CDU. I pray that in her retirement, God continues to offer her abundant blessings and graces,” he said.
Under Mount’s leadership, CDU has grown from a catechetical institute with a staff of two to the world’s only exclusively online Catholic university, with accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and the Association of Theological Schools.
In reflecting on Mount’s contributions, CDU’s Board Chair Stephen Pryor said, “Marianne Mount has been a remarkable servant leader who has devoted her entire professional career to advancing the mission of CDU. Under her leadership, CDU has built a reputation as a pioneer in online theological education that is completely faithful to the teachings of the church. Dr. Mount was recently appointed as a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education in recognition of her many contributions to the innovative realm of Catholic distance education. As she hands over the reins to Dr. Aguirre, the CDU community looks forward to an exciting future as a global trendsetter in online Catholic education.”
