Ave Maria University names Catholic digital, print publisher Mark Middendorf as president
Ave Maria University has named its fourth president.
Mark Middendorf, who most recently served as executive vice president for mission expansion at the Augustine Institute in Colorado, joins the private liberal arts Catholic university in central Collier County on Feb. 1. The school's board of trustees announced the move Friday.
Board Chairman Patrick Rainey pointed to Middendorf's strengths as a leader known for "his energetic and innovative leadership in Catholic lay apostolates."
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The Augustine Institute is a private Catholic graduate school of theology and publisher of Catholic audio-visuals and parish literature that reaches nearly half the nation's parishes.
Middendorf succeeds former AMU President Christopher Ice, who served until last summer. Before Ice, Jim Towey was president from 2011 until 2020.
"He shares Chancellor Monaghan’s conviction that St. John Paul II’s blueprint for Catholic higher education, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, is more relevant now than ever," Rainey said in a news release.
Tom Monaghan founded the university in Southwest Florida in 2003.
"I am confident that with Middendorf at the helm, the University will boldly sail forward toward a bright and expansive horizon," Rainey said in the news release. "He has a deep love for the Catholic faith and an abiding trust in God that flows from his reliance upon Divine Mercy and Our Blessed Mother’s powerful intercession."
Reinforcing that, Middendorf announced as a priority a day for all staff, students, and friends of Ave Maria to join him "in entrusting themselves and the University to the care of our Immaculate Mother on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation." The Solemnity of the Annunciation is a Roman Catholic day observing the announcement to the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ.
Middendorf, a native of Chicago, is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a master's of business administration in finance from DePaul University. He worked in marketing and management positions at Compuware, Wiremold and Westinghouse before founding a lay apostolate, Lighthouse Catholic Media (LCM) in 2005.
Lighthouse eventually became, according to the news release, the largest producer of Catholic audio talks in the world, reaching more than 17 million people with presentations on living the Gospel. lt also distributed millions of books through its kiosks and parish-based programs.
The company merged with the Augustine Institute in 2015 to offer both online and print materials. With its partner Ignatius Press, the organization provides resources for evangelization and religious instruction to more than 6,500 parishes and more than 1 million users. It uses online platforms and apps as well as print media.
A Middendorf initiative within that company was the founding of formed.org, a website offering instant access to Catholic books, movies, programs and audio talks.
Middendorf also serves on the boards of Ignatius Press, the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy and 5 Stones, a fulfillment, marketing and distribution of Catholic materials. He also has been a long-standing member of Legatus, the international organization of Catholic heads of business founded by Tom Monaghan, founder of Ave Maria University.
Middendorf and his wife, Christine, are the parents of four children, one a graduate of Ave Maria University and another currently enrolled. He joins the university on the eve of its 20th anniversary, which will be in 2023.
Ave Maria University has more than 1,100 students enrolled.
Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Ave Maria University names Mark Middendorf its fourth president
