I was recently invited to speak on behalf of CDU at the International Federation of Catholic University’s General Assembly, which is held every three years on various continents. In 2022, Boston College will host the event. I will participate in a panel on August 3 on how Catholic universities serve the common good.

We have a great opportunity to highlight our mission to provide the world with knowledge and study of Catholic doctrine, simply through access to the internet. Our low cost tuition enables students of all faiths and no faith to earn academic credit through high-quality, inspiring courses taught by renowned faculty at a
very affordable cost. In addition, CDU has a growing robust prison ministry program using digital tablets approved for use in state and federal prisons. In addition to awarding noncredit certificates, CDU has awarded bachelor’s and master’s degrees to qualified inmates with appropriate credentials. They have been some of CDU’s most talented graduates, earning academic credentials through our paper-based academic curriculum that is used only in prisons across the USA.

Another example of CDU’s commitment to the common good is our mission scholarship program that awards scholarships to qualified candidates in mission dioceses to assist bishops without adequate financial and academic resources. A number of Catholic dioceses do not have Catholic institutions of higher education or the resources to educate their students at Catholic universities. CDU offers full mission scholarships for the CDU graduate program to prepare leaders to serve in these dioceses.

In addition, CDU is committed to military personnel worldwide who serve in remote and dangerous parts of the world to defend our country and help those in need. Tuition reductions and partnerships with the Department of Defense and the Veterans’ Administration make CDU’s education affordable and accessible.

CDU’s latest initiative for the common good is a new curriculum in Catholic Social Teaching to serve the growing number of Hispanic Catholics who will be the future majority of the Catholic Church in 2030. CDU will develop a new AA curriculum with a concentration in Catholic Social Teaching as well as a graduate certificate in Catholic Social Teaching for ordained and lay ecclesial ministers. This $1.4 million dollar program is partially funded by the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative available through CDU’s Graduate School of Theology, which is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.