Catholic Distance University received initial accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission for its undergraduate and graduate degree programs June 23. Founded in 1983, CDU offers completely online higher education to military personnel, the incarcerated church, and underserved Catholics without access to local Catholic institutions.
Accreditation by the HLC ensures that an institution meets the HLC’s standards for educational quality, institutional capabilities and governance, with a resolve for continual improvement. HLC is the largest of six historically regional accreditors in the United States recognized by the Department of Education to accredit the nation’s institutions of higher education.
President Marianne Evans Mount praised the landmark accomplishment. “The hard work and adherence to high academic accrediting standards and practices have strengthened CDU and given further assurance to our students and graduates of the value of their educational credentials,” she said. “We look forward to the witness of their service to the Catholic Church and the world, as they strive to serve the common good and especially the underserved.”
“CDU is now recognized with the same accreditation as many of the most prestigious brick and mortar universities in the U.S.,” said Board Chairman Steve Pryor. “This major milestone marks the beginning of the next stage of CDU’s mission: to communicate the mind and heart of the church to a wider audience.
“The news that the Higher Learning Commission has accredited Catholic Distance University offers a significant recognition to the commitment of the CDU community to academic excellence,” said University Chancellor Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA. “I hope that this decision will be an impetus for the growth of the university and one more sign of its role in forming committed scholars especially in the theological sciences.”
HLC accreditation will benefit CDU students in new ways, ensuring a high quality of education widely recognized by the educational community.
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Contact Mary Kate White, [email protected] or 304/724- 5000, ext. 717.
