Rev. Joseph Z. Aud

Dean and President of Villa Madonna College (1949-1951)

The Reverend Father Joseph Z. Aud was a priest, educator, military chaplain, and administrator who served as Dean of Villa Madonna College from 1949 to 1951. As Acting Dean and later Dean of Villa Madonna College, Father Aud guided the institution during a period of growth, overseeing student life and academic affairs and encouraging student leadership initiatives.

Father Joseph Z. Aud was appointed Acting Dean beginning in February 1949 and was made Dean following his formal appointment on August 31, 1950. He directed student life, coordinated faculty affairs, and oversaw academic policy while working closely with Bishop William T. Mulloy and the College faculty to strengthen Catholic higher education in Northern Kentucky. Among his most significant accomplishments was presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Fort Thomas campus. He also encouraged student leadership and campus engagement, supporting initiatives such as the student-managed cafeteria established in Bernard Hall during the 1949–1950 academic year.

In September 1951, Father Aud was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Chaplain Corps, temporarily leaving the College to serve his country during the Korean War. As an Army chaplain, he ministered to soldiers under combat conditions, serving through seven major battles while providing spiritual guidance, celebrating the sacraments, and offering pastoral care to military personnel. Following his overseas service, he was stationed at Fort Eustis, Virginia, before returning to the Diocese of Covington in 1954, where he was appointed chaplain to Cardome Academy in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Father Joseph Z. Aud is remembered as a devoted priest, educator, administrator, and military chaplain whose leadership and service left a lasting mark on both Villa Madonna College and the Diocese of Covington. During his tenure as Dean, he strengthened the College’s academic administration, encouraged collaboration between clergy, religious communities, and lay leaders, and advanced the mission of Catholic higher education in Northern Kentucky.