View source for Theodore Hesburgh

{{short description|15th President of the University of Notre Dame}}
{{redirect|Hesburgh}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Reverend]]
| name                = Theodore Hesburgh
| honorific-suffix    = [[Congregation of Holy Cross|CSC]]
| image               = Father Ted Hesburgh (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Hesburgh in 2008
| office              = 15th [[President of the University of Notre Dame]]
| term_start          = 1952
| term_end            = 1987
| predecessor         = [[John J. Cavanaugh]]
| successor           = [[Edward Malloy]]
| office1             = Chair of the [[United States Commission on Civil Rights]]
| president1          = [[Richard Nixon]]
| term_start1         = 1969
| term_end1           = 1972
| predecessor1        = [[John A. Hannah]]
| successor1          = [[Arthur S. Flemming]]
| birth_name          = Theodore Martin Hesburgh
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1917|5|25}}
| birth_place         = [[Syracuse, New York]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2015|2|26|1917|5|25}}
| death_place         = [[Notre Dame, Indiana]], U.S.
| restingplace        = [[Campus of the University of Notre Dame#Cemeteries|Holy Cross Cemetery]]
| education           = [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] ([[Bachelor of Philosophy|PhB]])<br>[[Catholic University of America]] ([[Doctor of Sacred Theology|STD]])
| signature           = Theodore Hesburgh signature.svg
| awards              = [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]<br>[[Congressional Gold Medal]]
}}

{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Priest
| honorific_prefix = [[The Reverend]]
| name = Theodore Hesburgh
| honorific_suffix = [[Congregation of Holy Cross|C.S.C]]
| image = 
| religion = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| church = 
| ordination = 24 June 1943
| ordained_by = [[John F. Noll]]
}}

'''Theodore Martin Hesburgh''', [[Congregation of Holy Cross|CSC]] (May 25, 1917 – February 26, 2015) was an American [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest and academic who was a member of the [[Congregation of Holy Cross]]. He is best known for his service as the president of the [[University of Notre Dame]] for thirty-five years (1952–1987).

In addition to his career as an educator and author, Hesburgh was a public servant and social activist involved in numerous American civic and governmental initiatives, commissions, international humanitarian projects, and papal assignments. Hesburgh received numerous honors and awards for his service, most notably the United States's [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] (1964) and [[Congressional Gold Medal]] (2000). As of 2013, he also held the world's record for the individual with the most honorary degrees with more than 150.

Hesburgh is credited with bringing Notre Dame, long known for its football program, to the forefront of American [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] universities and its transition to a nationally respected institution of higher education. He supervised the university's dramatic growth, as well as the successful transfer of its ownership from Holy Cross priests to the Notre Dame board of trustees in 1967. During his tenure as president, the university also became a coeducational institution. 
In addition to his service to Notre Dame, Hesburgh held leadership positions in numerous groups involved in civil rights, peaceful uses of atomic energy, immigration reform, and Third World development. Hesburgh was also active on the boards of numerous businesses, nonprofits, civic organizations, and [[Holy See|Vatican]] missions.

==Early life and education==
Theodore Martin Hesburgh was born on May 25, 1917, in [[Syracuse, New York]], to Theodore Bernard Hesburgh, a Pittsburgh Plate Glass warehouse manager, and Anne Murphy Hesburgh.<ref name=Ames4>{{cite book | author=Charlotte Ames, compiler | title =Theodore M. Hesburgh: A Bio-Bibliography | publisher =Greenwood Press | series =Bio-Bibliographies in Education | volume =1 | year =1989 | location =New York | page=4 | isbn =0313265089}}</ref><ref name=GS170>{{cite book | editor=Linda C. Gugin and James E. St. Clair | title =Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State | publisher =Indiana Historical Society Press| year =2015 | location =Indianapolis | page =170 | isbn =978-0-87195-387-2}}</ref> His father was of Luxembourgish ancestry; his mother's family was of Irish descent.<ref name="Ames, p. 3">Ames, p. 3.</ref> Young Theodore was the second child and oldest son in a family of five children that included two boys and three girls. He attended Most Holy Rosary, a parochial school in Syracuse, and also served as an altar boy. Hesburgh claimed that he had wished to become a priest since the age of six.<ref>{{cite book | author =Michael O'Brien | title =Hesburgh: A Biography | publisher =Catholic University of America Press | year =1998 | location =Washington, D.C. | pages =[https://archive.org/details/hesburghbiograph00obri/page/7 7] | url =https://archive.org/details/hesburghbiograph00obri/page/7 | isbn =0813209218 }}</ref><ref name=McAuliff117>{{cite book | author=Martin L. McAuliffe Jr. | title =Profiles of Excellence | publisher =University of Evansville Press | year =1970 | location =Evansville, Indiana | page=117 | oclc=575784}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Rev. Theodore Hesburgh dies at 97; Syracuse native transformed Notre Dame |url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/the_rev_theodore_hesburgh_dies_at_97_syracuse_native_transformed_notre_dame.html |access-date=February 28, 2015|work=Syracuse.com|agency=Associated Press|date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> Thomas Duffy, a missionary priest from the [[Congregation of Holy Cross]], which owned the [[University of Notre Dame]], encouraged Hesburgh's interest in joining the priesthood.<ref name=GS170/><ref>Ames, pp. 4–5.</ref>

Hesburgh graduated from Most Holy Rosary High School in Syracuse in 1934 and enrolled in the Holy Cross Seminary at Notre Dame in the fall. In 1937, his teachers decided to send the promising young seminarian to study in [[Rome]], [[Italy]], where he graduated from the [[Gregorian University|Pontifical Gregorian University]] with a bachelor of philosophy degree in 1940.<ref>O'Brien, pp. 19–20.</ref><ref name=McAuliff117/><ref>Hesburgh never finished the Notre Dame undergraduate degree he had begun in 1934; however, the university awarded him an honorary degree in 1984, thirty-two years after he became its president. See Ames, p. 238.</ref> When the American consul in Rome ordered all U.S. citizens to leave Italy in 1940, due to the outbreak of [[World War II]], Hesburgh returned to the United States to continue his studies.<ref>O'Brien, p. 27.</ref> He spent three years (1940–43) studying theology at the Holy Cross College in Washington, D.C., and two years (1943–45) studying at [[The Catholic University of America]], where he earned a doctorate in [[Doctor of Sacred Theology|sacred theology]] in 1945.<ref name=GS170/><ref>O'Brien, p. 28.</ref>

On June 24, 1943, Hesburgh was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] for the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame's Sacred Heart Church (later renamed the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]]). Inspired by an inscription carved in stone above the church's door, Hesburgh dedicated his life to "God, Country, and Notre Dame." Afterwards, Father Ted, as he preferred to be called, returned to [[Washington, D.C.]], to complete his studies and assist at area parishes. In addition, Hesburgh served as a chaplain at the [[National Training School for Boys]] (a juvenile detention facility) and at a military installation. He also ran a large [[United Service Organization]] (USO) club in a [[Knights of Columbus]] hall in Washington, D.C.<ref name=GS170/><ref>O'Brien, pp. 30–31.</ref> Although Hesburgh expressed an interest in serving as a chaplain in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] during World War II, he returned to [[Notre Dame, Indiana]], in 1945, after completion of his studies in Washington, D.C., to begin a teaching career at the university.<ref>O'Brien, p. 32.</ref><ref name=Ames9>Ames, p. 9.</ref>

==Career==
===Early years===
Hesburgh joined the Notre Dame faculty as an instructor in the university's Department of Religion in 1945.<ref name=Ames9/> In 1948 Hesburgh was named head of the Department of Theology, and in 1949 Notre Dame's president, [[John J. Cavanaugh]], C.S.C., appointed Hesburgh executive vice president. Three years later, 
at the age of thirty-five, Hesburgh succeeded Cavanaugh as president.<ref name=GS170/><ref>{{cite web|title=Fr. Ted's Life: Holy Cross Priest|url=http://hesburgh.nd.edu/fr-teds-life/holy-cross-priest/|publisher=University of Notre Dame|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref>

===President of Notre Dame===
[[File:Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh Delivers Remarks at the Presentation of the Laetare Medal to President John F. Kennedy.jpg|thumb|left|Hesburgh presents the [[Laetare Medal]] to [[John F. Kennedy]] on November 22, 1961<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knudsen |first1=Robert |title=Presentation of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal to President Kennedy, 1:25PM |url=http://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHP/1961/Month%2011/Day%2022/JFKWHP-1961-11-22-D?image_identifier=JFKWHP-KN-C19543 |publisher=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=15 April 2019 |date=22 November 1961}}</ref>]]

Hesburgh served as Notre Dame's president for thirty-five years, from 1952 until his retirement in 1987. At that time his was "the longest presidency in American higher education."<ref name=GS170/> Hesburgh immediately began efforts to transform the school, primarily known for its football program, "into a nationally respected institution of higher learning."<ref name=Murray125>{{cite journal| author=Paul T. Murray| title = 'To Change the Face of America': Father Theodore M. Hesburgh and the Civil Rights Commission | journal =Indiana Magazine of History | volume =111 | issue =2 | page=125 | publisher =Indiana University | location =Bloomington | date =June 2015| url =https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/23612/29305| access-date =June 16, 2017}}</ref> In 1953 the university created the Distinguished Professors Program to attract top scholars to Notre Dame. By the time of Hesburgh's retirement in 1987, the school had established more than a hundred distinguished professorships.<ref>O'Brien, p. 178.</ref>

[[File:Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Hesburgh Library]] at the University of Notre Dame]]
Hesburgh supervised dramatic growth at the university and expansion of its endowment, as well as its transition to a coeducational institution which occurred in 1972. During his presidency (1952–87), the annual operating budget increased from $9.7 million to $176.6 million and the university's endowment increased from $9 million to $350 million. Research funding increased from $735,000 to $15 million. Student enrollment nearly doubled from 4,979 to 9,676, and its faculty more than doubled from 389 to 951. The average faculty salary rose from $5,400 to $50,800. The number of degrees conferred annually doubled from 1,212 to 2,663.<ref>{{cite journal| title =The University Presidents: 'Father Ted' Has Reshaped Notre Dame | journal =Indianapolis Star | pages =1F, 4F | location =Indianapolis, Indiana | date =May 24, 1987}} O'Brien, pp. 1, 178, says the faculty salaries increased from $5,400 to $50,800, the university's endowment grew from $9 million to $350 million, and student enrollment doubled. Ames, p. 1, reported that during Hesburgh's tenure as president, the university's endowment increased from $10 million to more than $450 million, enrollment nearly doubled, and the annual operating budget increased from $9 to $200 million.</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Theodore M. Hesburgh |title=God, Country, Notre Dame: The Autobiography of Theodore M. Hesburgh |publisher=Doubleday |year=1990 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/godcountrynotred00hesb/page/303 303–04] |url=https://archive.org/details/godcountrynotred00hesb/page/303 |isbn=9780385266802 }} Hesburgh claimed that during his thirty-five years as Notre Dame's president, its annual operating budget increased from $6 million to $230 million, student enrollment doubled, the number of faculty tripled, and the endowment increased from $6 million to more than $500 million.</ref> While Hesburgh was president, the university also initiated forty new building projects, including the $8 million [[Hesburgh Library|library]] with the famous "Word of Life" mural, better known as "Touchdown Jesus," on its [[façade]].<ref name=GS171>Gugin and St. Clair, eds., p. 171.</ref><ref>During Hesburgh's presidency, the number of buildings at Notre Dame increased from 48 to 88. See O'Brien, p. 178.</ref>

Hesburgh played a key role in developing the [[Land O'Lakes Statement]] that North American representatives of the [[International Federation of Catholic Universities]] issued in 1967. The document  outlined a commitment to academic freedom with independent governance and insisted that "a Catholic university properly developed can even more fully achieve the ideal of a true university."<ref name=GS170/><ref>{{cite book|last1=McCluskey S.J.|first1=Neil G.|url=https://cushwa.nd.edu/assets/245340/landolakesstatement.pdf|title=The Idea of the Catholic University|date=1967|publisher=privately published|location=Land O'Lakes, WI|access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> The statement created some controversy because it declared that Catholic universities should be autonomous, free from all authority, including the [[Catholic Church]]. Despite the conflicts that the statement initiated, Hesburg's commitment to excellence "transformed Notre Dame into one of the most recognizable and prestigious Catholic universities in the United States".<ref name=GS170/> In 1967, Hesburgh ended the university's exclusive, century-long leadership by the Congregation of Holy Cross clergy. Hesburgh and Howard Kenna worked together to establish a plan for transferring ownership of the university from the Congregation of Holy Cross priests to the University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees. The new governing board included laypersons and Holy Cross priests as trustees and fellows.<ref name=GS171/><ref>McAuliffe, p. 117.</ref><ref name="Ames, p. 21">Ames, p. 21.</ref>

During the 1960s, when student demonstrations were held at colleges and universities across the United States, Hesburgh and many other collegiate presidents came under attack. For Notre Dame the climax of student unrest occurred in 1968–69.<ref>Ames, pp. 10–11.</ref> On February 17, 1969, Hesburgh took a controversial position in dealing with anti-Vietnam War student activism on campus when he issued an eight-page letter to the student body outlining the university's stance on protests. Hesburgh's letter stated that student protesters who violated the rights of others or disrupted the school's operations would be given fifteen minutes to cease and desist before facing suspension, or expulsion if they refused to disperse.<ref name=Murray146-47>Murray, pp. 146–47.</ref> Hesburgh's action provoked controversy and made national headlines.<ref>Ames, p. 11.</ref> The letter was reprinted in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'', the ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'', and the ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]''.<ref>O'Brien, p. 109.</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Eileen Duffy |title=Hesburgh recalls, contrasts activism during Vietnam era, today|url=http://ndsmcobserver.com/2007/03/hesburgh-recalls-contrasts-activism-during-vietnam-era-today/|work=The Observer|date=March 29, 2007|location=Notre Dame, Indiana|oclc=18006012}}</ref> Although Hesburgh received harsh criticism from Notre Dame's students, including requests for his resignation, responses to editorials in 250 newspapers about his "fifteen-minute rule" were nearly all favorable.<ref name=GS171/><ref name=Murray146-47/> In addition, President [[Richard Nixon]] sent Hesburgh a telegram praising his "tough stance" on the campus's student protests.<ref>O'Brien, p. 110.</ref>

At President Nixon's request, Hesburgh offered advice to [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Spiro Agnew]] in a letter written on February 27, 1969, that included suggestions for potential actions that could be taken to control the violence on college campuses. Hesburgh, who generally disagreed with the Nixon administration's policy in [[South Vietnam|Vietnam]] and favored an accelerated withdrawal of the troops,<ref>{{cite web|title=Fr. Ted's Life: A Leader in Higher Education: The 1960s and Student Activism|url=http://hesburgh.nd.edu/fr-teds-life/a-leader-in-higher-education/the-1960s-and-student-activism/|publisher=University of Notre Dame|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> advised against repressive legislation to control campus protests. Hesburgh argued that university and college administrations should be allowed to continue to decide the appropriate action to take on their respective campuses. The [[National Governors Association|National Governors Conference]] agreed with his view; the majority of state governors opposed the proposed legislation. In October 1969, Hesburgh publicly expressed his opposition to the war by signing a letter with other college presidents calling for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam and was present at an on-campus peace Mass with 2,500 Notre Dame students the following day.<ref>O'Brien, pp. 110–14.</ref>

Hesburgh, a member and later chair of the [[United States Commission on Civil Rights|U.S. Civil Rights Commission]], was publicly vocal in his support for equal rights, but he did not immediately recognize or take significant action to eliminate [[institutional racism]] at Notre Dame, where the number of black students and employees "remained at token levels until the late 1960s."<ref name=Murray122>Murray, p. 122.</ref> In 1969, after some of Notre Dame's African American student activists criticized the low level of blacks enrolled at the university, Hesburgh appointed a student-faculty committee to assess the issue. The committee's findings caused him to take immediate measures to increase minority employment and aggressively recruit minority students. Hesburgh also persuaded the university's trustees to lift their forty-year ban on participation in postseason football games and used revenue generated from Notre Dame's bowl game appearances to fund minority scholarships. The [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish]]'s win over the [[Texas Longhorns football|University of Texas Longhorns]] in the [[Cotton Bowl Classic]] in 1970 raised $300,000 for Notre Dame's scholarship fund.<ref>Murray, pp. 145–46.</ref>

Notre Dame, as with other colleges and universities around the country, continued to experience antiwar protests as the [[Vietnam War]] proceeded to escalate. In early May 1970, after learning of rumors that a group of students and antiwar activists planned to firebomb the Notre Dame campus's [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps]] (ROTC) building, Hesburgh responded with a public statement on May 4. In an address to a crowd of approximately 2,000 students, Hesburgh spoke against the war and objected to Nixon's decision to send troops into [[Cambodia]]. During his conciliatory remarks, Hesburgh also outlined steps that he thought the government could take to address student concerns. On May 18, Hesburgh sent a letter to President Nixon and a copy of his address, which became known as the Hesburgh Declaration. Although campus unrest caused classes to be canceled on May 6, Notre Dame's seven days of protest ended without damage, violence, or National Guard presence as it did on other college campuses, such as [[Columbia University]], the [[University of California, Berkeley]], and elsewhere.<ref>O'Brien, pp. 100–7; 117–24. For Hesburgh's account of these events, See ''God, Country, Notre Dame'', pp. 106–18.</ref>

By the early 1970s, Hesburgh had become the most well-known American Catholic in the United States. He continued to respond to student concerns during the 1970s and 1980s. To increase student involvement in the administration's decision-making process, Hesburgh added student representatives to university committees.<ref>Ames, pp. 13, 17.</ref>

===Civic and U.S. government activist===
[[File:Hesburgh at the Civil Rights Commitee.jpg|thumb|left|Hesburgh chairs the Civil Rights Committee]]

Hesburgh's career included many civic activities, as well as American and international initiatives beyond his work at Notre Dame. Hesburgh estimated he spent about 40 percent of his time off-campus and believed that his civic involvement "enriched" his priesthood.<ref>O'Brien, p. 163.</ref>

Beginning in 1955, Hesburgh served in a number of posts on government commissions that included [[National Science Board]] and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and also served on the boards of non-profit organizations, such as the [[Rockefeller Foundation]], and Vatican missions. His career included at least sixteen presidential appointments involving some of the major social issues of his era: civil rights, campus unrest, [[Third World]] development, peaceful uses of atomic energy, and immigration reform, "including the American policy of amnesty for immigrants in the mid-1980s."<ref name=Hendershott/>

Hesburgh's first presidential appointment occurred in 1954, when President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] appointed him to the National Science Board.<ref name="O'Brien, pp. 64–65">O'Brien, pp. 64–65.</ref> Although Hesburgh had no previous experience as an activist supporting civil rights issues, President Eisenhower made him a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in 1957, beginning fifteen years of service on the commission. Hesburgh emerged as a civil rights advocate and spokesperson for the commission.<ref name=Murray122/> In an appendix to the commission's annual report in 1959, Hesburgh outlined his position on civil rights and equality: {{blockquote|sign=|source=|I believe that civil rights were not created, but only recognized and formulated, by our Federal and State constitutions and charters. Civil rights are important corollaries of the great proposition … that every human person is a ''res sacra'', a sacred reality, and as such is entitled to the opportunity of fulfilling those great human potentials with which God has endowed every man.<ref name=Murray133>Murray, p. 133.</ref>}}

In 1961 Hesburgh persuaded the Indiana Conference of Higher Education to support a Notre Dame-based pilot project for President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s new [[Peace Corps]] initiative that trained new volunteers for service in [[Chile]],<ref name=GS170/><ref>O’Brien, p. 87.</ref> but he felt that the Kennedy administration had a poor record on civil rights issues.<ref name=Murray133/> In contrast to his assessment of the Kennedy administration's civil rights efforts, Hesburgh praised [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s work to secure passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] in the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] and his courage for supporting the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]]. Hesburgh also made public appearances to show his support for the civil rights movement. On July 21, 1964, Hesburgh delivered an impromptu speech during [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s civil rights rally in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. At the conclusion of the event, he joined hands with King and other civil rights supporters as the group sang "[[We Shall Overcome]]."<ref name="Murray, pp. 139–40">Murray, pp. 139–40.</ref>

Hesburgh served as chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission from 1969, when President Nixon appointed him to the leadership position, until 1972, when White House aides asked for Hesburgh's resignation. His dismissal from the commission in 1972 followed a series of disagreements between Hesburgh, the commission, and the Nixon administration about civil rights policies. Hesburgh objected to the president's slowdown policy on school desegregation, opposed Nixon's anti-busing policy, and advocated for the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, which the Nixon administration wanted to amend. Hesburgh publicly explained that he believed the primary reason for his dismissal was due to the commission's report on minority employment in government.<ref name="O'Brien, pp. 64–65"/><ref name="Murray, pp. 147–50">Murray, pp. 147–50.</ref>

According to [[Rick Perlstein]] in [[Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America|''Nixonland'']] (2008), when [[Thomas Eagleton]] dropped out of the race as [[George McGovern]]'s vice presidential running mate in the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]], Hesburgh was among many people considered as a replacement candidate for Eagleton, but he declined the offer.<ref>{{cite book|author=Rick Perlstein |title=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America |year=2008 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-4302-5|page=697|title-link=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America }}</ref><ref>O’Brien, pp. 189–90.</ref> In the 1970s, Hesburgh made public his approval for the ratification of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].<ref name=":0">''The Equal Rights Amendment'', by Catholics Act for ERA, Washington, DC. Included in ''How Did Iowa Coalitions Campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1980 and 1992?'', by Dan Itzkowitz, under the direction of Victoria Brown. (Binghamton, NY: State University of New York at Binghamton, 2002).</ref> During that decade, the organization [[Catholics Act for ERA]] sent out marketing materials on behalf of the amendment quoting support from Hesburgh.<ref name=":0" />

President [[Jimmy Carter]] appointed Hesburgh to a blue-ribbon immigration reform commission in 1979; the commission's finding that any national immigration reform proposals can succeed only if the American national border is properly secured beforehand<ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Immigration Policy and the National Interest. The Final Report and Recommendations of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy with Supplemental Views by Commissioners|date=March 1, 1981|publisher=Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy |url=http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED211612.pdf |id=ED211612}}</ref><ref>O’Brien, p. 157.</ref> was cited by various opponents of [[illegal immigration to the United States]]. His efforts on the commission led to the passing of the Refugee Act of 1980, and the creation of a professional Asylum Corps in the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

===Papal appointments===
Hesburgh served as a permanent [[Holy See]] representative from 1956 to 1970 to the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]]. [[Pope Paul VI]] appointed Hesburgh as head of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] representatives attending the twentieth anniversary of the [[United Nations]]' human rights declaration in [[Tehran, Iran]], and as a member of the [[Holy See]]'s U.N. delegation in 1974.<ref name=WorldRecord>{{cite journal| title =World Record Holder Celebrates 70 Years of Priestly Ministry | journal =Catholic Sun | date =May 24, 2013| url =http://www.catholicsun.org/2013/05/24/world-record-holder-celebrates-70-years-of-priestly-ministry/| access-date =June 16, 2017}}</ref> [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed Hesburgh to the [[Pontifical Council for Culture]] in 1983.<ref name="Ames26-27"/>

===Business and nonprofit foundation leader===
Throughout his career, Hesburgh was active on many advisory boards related to higher education, science, business, and civic affairs. He also traveled the world on behalf of the university and the organizations he served.

In the field of higher education, Hesburgh was a contributor to ''The Pursuit of Excellence'' (1958), an analysis of the U.S. education system that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund commissioned as part of its [[Special Studies Project]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Pursuit of Excellence|magazine=Time|date=July 7, 1958|volume=72|issue=1|page=57|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> Hesburgh also served as a member of the [[International Federation of Catholic Universities]], and as its president from 1963 to 1970; a board member and eventual president of the [[Association of American Colleges and Universities]]; a board member of the [[American Council on Education]]; and a board member of the [[Institute of International Education]], among other education-related groups.<ref name="O'Brien, pp. 64–66">O'Brien, pp. 64–66.</ref><ref>Ames, pp. 26–27, 247.</ref>

In 1990, during his retirement years, Hesburgh became the first priest to be elected to the [[Harvard Board of Overseers]] (board of directors), and served from 1994 to 1996 as the board's president.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1995/4/3/board-of-overseers-reelects-hesburgh-as/ |title=Board of Overseers Reelects Hesburgh as Its President |website=Thecrimson.com |access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> Hesburgh also served as co-chairman of the [[Knight Commission]] on Intercollegiate Athletics that made significant revisions to the regulation of American collegiate sports.<ref>O'Brien, p. 304.</ref>

Hesburgh was involved with several science-related projects and organizations. From 1956 until 1970, he served as the permanent Vatican representative to the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]].<ref>O'Brien, p. 160.</ref><ref>Ames, pp. 19, 26–27, 247.</ref> In addition to serving on the U.S. National Science Board, Hesburgh was appointed U.S. ambassador to the 1979 [[United Nations]] [[Commission on Science and Technology for Development|Conference on Science and Technology for Development]].<ref name=Hendershott/> He also served with the [[Midwestern Universities Research Association]] and the Nutrition Foundation Board. While serving on the board of the [[United States Institute of Peace]], Hesburgh "helped organize a meeting of scientists and representative leaders of six faith traditions who called for the elimination of nuclear weapons."<ref name=Hendershott/><ref name="O'Brien, pp. 64–66"/>

Hesburgh was a board member of numerous business and civic organizations. From 1961 to 1982 he served on the board of the Rockefeller Foundation, and from 1977 to 1982 as board chairman.<ref name=Hendershott/><ref>{{cite book|title=Thanking Father Ted: Thirty-Five Years of Notre Dame Coeducation|editor=Ann Therese Darin Palmer |isbn=9780740770302|date=August 2007|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|page=58}}</ref><ref>Ames, pp. 19, 246.</ref> Hesburgh also served as a director for the [[Chase Bank#Merger as Chase Manhattan Bank|Chase Manhattan Bank]]<ref name=Hendershott/> and was one of the four main founders of [[People for the American Way]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=People For's Founding Mission Statement |url=https://www.pfaw.org/about-us/founding-mission-statement/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=People For the American Way |language=en-US}}</ref> which was among many other organizations he served with.<ref>Ames, p. 39.</ref>  Hesburgh's interest in international affairs also led to his service on numerous international commissions and humanitarian projects.

==Later years==
[[File:Obama and hesburgh.JPG|thumb|Hesburgh greets President [[Barack Obama]] at Notre Dame in 2009]]
{{external media| float = right | width = 230px| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?16381-1/god-country-notre-dame ''Booknotes'' interview with Hesburgh on ''God, Country, Notre Dame'', February 10, 1991], [[C-SPAN]]}}

After his retirement as president of the University of Notre Dame in 1987, Hesburgh took a year off for travel and vacation.<ref>O'Brien, pp. 296–97.</ref> Upon his return, he came to campus to work each day at his new office on the thirteenth floor of the [[Hesburgh Library|library]] that eventually bore his name, and wrote his autobiography, ''God, Country, Notre Dame: The Autobiography of Theodore M. Hesburgh'' (1990) with Jerry Reedy. The book spent six weeks on the ''New York Times'' best-seller list.<ref name=Obrien303>O'Brien, p. 303.</ref><ref name=HesburghLibrary>{{cite web| title =Theodore M. Hesburgh Library | publisher =University of Notre Dame | url =https://library.nd.edu/about/history/ | access-date =June 27, 2017}} See also: {{cite web| title =Father Theodore M. Hesburgh | publisher =University of Notre Dame | url =https://library.nd.edu/about/history/fhesb.shtml| access-date =June 27, 2017}}</ref> At the conclusion of the book, Hesburgh remarked:{{blockquote|I believe that with faith in God and in our fellow humans, we can aim for the heights of human endeavor, and that we can teach them, too.<ref>Hesburgh, ''God, County, Notre Dame'', p. 313.</ref>}}

Hesburgh kept busy in his retirement years, which also included time to relax at the Holy Cross property at [[Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin]].<ref>O'Brien, p. 310.</ref> He wrote regularly, including a second book, ''Travels with Ted and Ned'' (1992), which received mixed reviews, and edited ''The Challenge and Promise of a Catholic University'' (1994), a collection of essays on Catholic higher education.<ref name=Obrien303/> Hesburgh continued to deliver speeches and lectures, as well as serving on numerous boards and committees, including his controversial decision in 1994 to co-chair the legal defense fund for [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] and [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Hillary Clinton]] with former [[United States Attorney General|U.S. Attorney General]] [[Nicholas Katzenbach]].<ref>O'Brien, pp. 307–8.</ref>

Hesburgh was especially active in the development of five institutions he organized: the [[Tantur Ecumenical Institute|Ecumenical Institute for Theology Studies]] at Tantur, [[Jerusalem]];<ref>{{cite web| title =Tantur Ecumenical Institute | publisher =University of Notre Dame | url = http://tantur.org| access-date =June 27, 2017}}</ref> Notre Dame's Center for Civil and Human Rights;<ref>{{cite web| title =The Center for Civil and Human Rights | publisher =University of Notre Dame | url = http://humanrights.nd.edu/the-center/ | access-date =June 27, 2017 }}</ref> the Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies;<ref>{{cite web| title =Kellogg Institute for International Studies | publisher =University of Notre Dame | url = http://kellogg.nd.edu | access-date = June 27, 2017 }}</ref> the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies;<ref>{{cite web| title =Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies | publisher = University of Notre Dame | url = http://kroc.nd.edu | access-date = June 27, 2017}}</ref> and the Hank Family Environmental Research Center.<ref>O’Brien, pp. 298–99.</ref><ref name=WorldRecord/> Other retirement activities included co-chairing the Knight Commission with William C. "Bill" Friday, former president of the [[University of North Carolina]], and joining the Harvard Board of Overseers in 1990.<ref>O'Brien, pp. 304, 308.</ref> In 2009, he supported the invitation to [[Barack Obama]] to speak at Notre Dame, which was controversial because of Obama's strong endorsement of pro-choice legislation.<ref>http://www.fox28.com/Global/story.asp?S=10368711 Former ND president approves of Obama's visit Former ND president approves of Obama's visit]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522143926/http://www.fox28.com/Global/story.asp?S=10368711 |date=May 22, 2009 }}</ref>

==Death and legacy==

Hesburgh died on February 26, 2015, at the age of 97.<ref>{{cite news |first=Margaret |last=Fosmoe |title=Father Ted Turns 95, Reflects on Years at Notre Dame |url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2012-05-24/news/31843492_1_hesburgh-father-ted-fishing |work=[[South Bend Tribune]] |date=May 24, 2012 |access-date=May 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Anderson|first1=Nick|title=The Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, ex-Notre Dame president, dies at 97|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-rev-theodore-hesburgh-ex-notre-dame-president-dies-at-97/2015/02/27/e1becf8a-be79-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html|access-date=February 28, 2015|newspaper=Washington Post|date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> His death, funeral, and memorial service gained  widespread media attention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Live-Fr-Theodore-Hesburghs-funeral-mass-and-procession-295019741.html|title=Father Theodore Hesburgh is laid to rest|website=Wndu.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southbendtribune.com/multimedia/photos/photos-father-hesburgh-funeral/collection_8bbec996-c2c5-11e4-b72e-633518e88970.html#ad-image-0|title=PHOTOS: Father Hesburgh Funeral|website=Southbendtribunce.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/04/former-president-jimmy-carter-among-those-honoring-notre-dame-hesburgh-at.html|title=Former President Jimmy Carter among those honoring Notre Dame's Hesburgh at funeral - Fox News|date=March 4, 2015|website=Foxnews.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-theodore-hesburgh-funeral-20150304-story.html|title=Notre Dame's Hesburgh remembered for his acts of kindness|website=Chicagotribune.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> Attendees and speakers at the memorial service included former President [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Condoleezza Rice]], [[Lou Holtz]], then cardinal [[Theodore McCarrick]] and cardinal [[Roger Mahony]], former U.S. senator [[Harris L. Wofford]], Indiana governor [[Mike Pence]], former First Lady [[Rosalynn Carter]], former U.S. senator [[Alan K. Simpson]], U.S. senator [[Joe Donnelly]], [[William G. Bowen]], and a video message from President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hesburgh.nd.edu/assets/173673/memorial_tribute_program.pdf |title=Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh C.S.C. : Memorial Tribute |website=Hesburgh.nd.edu |access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/President-Carter-Condoleezza-Rice-among-guests-to-speak-at-Fr-Hesburgh-tribute-294711341.html|title=Obama, Carter, Rice, others pay tribute to Fr. Hesburgh|website=Wndu.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref>

Father Hesburgh was the president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987. He was an American Catholic priest and educator who achieved national prominence through his public service work. He increased the stature and size of the university, liberalized the rules regulating student life, promoted academic freedom, and worked toward making Notre Dame one of the top universities in the country, doubling its enrollment and greatly increasing its endowment. He transferred its governance from the Congregation of Holy Cross to a mixed lay and religious board and oversaw the admittance of women students in 1972. He was also the chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. He received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) and a Congressional Gold Medal (1999), and more than 150 honorary degrees. He was a steadfast champion for human rights, the cause of peace, and care for the poor.<ref>Anthony DePalma, "Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, 97, Dies; Lifted Notre Dame and Advised Presidents" ''New York Times'' Feb. 27, 2015.</ref>

Hesburgh's leadership as president of the University of Notre Dame brought it to the forefront of American Catholic universities.<ref name=GS169>Gugin and St. Clair, eds., p. 169.</ref> A ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine cover story from February 9, 1962, named him as "the most influential figure in the reshaping of Catholic higher education in the U.S."<ref>O'Brien, p. 99.</ref> Long known for its football program, Notre Dame also became known for its academics.<ref>Ames, p. 1.</ref> While Hesburgh was slow to recognize that Notre Dame's "policies and practices unintentionally produced unequal outcomes," he took decisive action after its minority students challenged him to do so. By the 1970s Notre Dame was a "much more diverse university than it had been ten years earlier."<ref name="Murray, pp. 139–40"/>

The university has named several buildings, scholarships, and academic programs in his honor, including the [[Hesburgh Library]], the Hesburgh Institute for International Studies, which Hesburgh founded in 1985,<ref>Ames, pp. 20, 165.</ref> the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholarship,<ref>{{cite web| title =The Hesburgh-Yusko Scholarship Program: About the Program | publisher =University of Notre Dame  | url = http://hesburgh-yusko.nd.edu/about-the-program/ | access-date =June 27, 2017}}</ref> and the Hesburgh International Scholar Experience.<ref>{{cite journal| author= Carolyn Hutyra| title =HISE Weekend Includes Press Box Reception, Shadowing Classes | journal =The Observer | location =Notre Dame, Indiana | date = April 7, 2014| url =http://ndsmcobserver.com/2014/04/43953/  | access-date = June 27, 2017}}</ref> Hesburgh's papers are housed in the Archives of the University of Notre Dame.<ref>Ames, p. xii.</ref> Notre Dame's Hesburgh Library initially opened as the Memorial Library on September 18, 1963, and was renamed in his honor in 1987. In his retirement, Hesburgh maintained a private office on the library's thirteenth floor.<ref name=HesburghLibrary/>

Hesburgh, one of the country's "most respected clergyman,"<ref name=Murray154>Murray, p. 154.</ref> was a strong supporter of interfaith dialogue. He also brought a Catholic perspective to the numerous government commissions, civic initiatives, and other projects in which he was involved.<ref name=GS169/> From his position within the American political establishment and as a major figure in the Catholic Church from the 1950s to the 1990s, he used his influence to urge support of political policies and legislation to help solve national problems.<ref name=Murray154/>

Hesburgh remained an activist for most of his adult life, especially in the area of civil rights and equality. He played a significant role in national affairs, beginning in the mid-twentieth century, and became well known for his liberal point of view, which was based on concepts of freedom and autonomy.<ref>Ames, pp. 2, 8.</ref> Hesburgh supported the peaceful use of atomic energy, aid to developing Third World countries (especially [[Africa]] and [[Latin America]]), and civil rights and equality. Although his remarks and actions were controversial at times, "he nearly always came through unscathed."<ref name="Ames, p. 3"/>

As a fifteen-year member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Hesburgh took a public stand against racism and prejudice. He used his skills as a leader to forge strong alliances, even with those who held different political philosophies. For Hesburgh, civil rights were a moral issue, as he once declared: {{blockquote|sign=|source=|Our moral blindness has given us a divided America and ugly America complete with black ghettos. …We allow children to grow up in city jungles, to attend disgraceful schools, to be surrounded with every kind of physical and moral ugliness, and then we are surprised if they are low in aspiration and accomplishment.<ref name="Murray, pp. 147–50">Murray, pp. 147–50.</ref>}} While Hesburgh was criticized by some for his social and political ideas, many praised his "contributions to ecumenism, civil rights, and world peace"<ref name=GS171/>

In 2018, ''[[Hesburgh (film)|Hesburgh]]'', a documentary film directed by [[Patrick Creadon]], was released. It covers Hesburgh's life, particularly his presidency at Notre Dame and his work in civil rights.<ref name="Booker">{{cite AV media |last1=Booker |first1=Christopher |author-link1=Christopher Booker |last2=Creadon |first2=Patrick |author-link2=Patrick Creadon |date=June 15, 2019 |title=Following Father Theodore Hesburgh through the Civil Rights era |medium=Television production |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/following-father-theodore-hesburgh-through-the-civil-rights-era |access-date=June 28, 2020 |publisher=[[PBS NewsHour]]}}</ref>

==Presidential appointments==
* National Science Board (1954–56),<ref name=Ames26-27>Ames, pp. 26–27.</ref> Committee on International Science<ref name=Ames246>Ames, p. 246.</ref>
* National War College, Board of Consultants<ref name=Ames247>Ames, p. 247.</ref>
* Overseas Development Council (1971–82)<ref name=Ames26-27/>
* President's Commission on All-Volunteer Armed Forces<ref name=Ames246/>
* President's Committee on the Holocaust<ref name=Ames248>Ames, p. 248.</ref>
* President's General Advisory Committee on Foreign Assistance Programs<ref name=Ames246/>
* Presidential Clemency Board (1974–75)<ref name=Ames19-246>Ames, pp. 19, 26–27, 246.</ref>
* U.S. Advisory Committee on International Educational and Cultural Affairs (1962–65)<ref name=Ames246/>
* U.S. Ambassador and Chair, U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development (1979)<ref name=Ames19-248>Ames, pp. 19, 26–27, 248.</ref>
* U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1957–72)<ref name=Ames19-246/>
* U.S. Commission on United States-Latin American Relations<ref>Ames, p. 244.</ref>
* U.S. Institute of Peace, Board of Directors<ref name="O’Brien, p. 299">O’Brien, p. 299.</ref>
* U.S. Naval Academy, Board of Visitors<ref name=Ames247/>
* U.S. Official Observer Team for El Salvador Elections (1982)<ref name=Ames19-248/>
* U.S. Select Commission on Immigration and Relief Policy (1979–81)<ref name=Ames19-248/>
* U.S. State Department, Policy Planning Council<ref name=Ames247/>

==Selected published works==
===Books===
* {{cite book | title =The Relation of the Sacramental Characters of Baptism and Confirmation to the Lay Apostle | year =1946 }}
* {{cite book | title =The Theology of Catholic Action | year =1946 }}
* {{cite book | title = God and the World of Man | year =1950 }}
* {{cite book | title = Pattern for Educational Growth: Six Discourses at the University of Notre Dame | year =1958 }}
* {{cite book | title =Thoughts for Our Times | year =1961 }}
* {{cite book | title = More Thoughts for Our Times | year =1964 }}
*  {{cite book | title = Still More Thoughts for Our Times | year =1966 }}
* {{cite book | title = Thought IV: Five Addresses | year =1967 }}
* {{cite book | title = Thoughts for Our Times V | year =1969 }}
* With Paul A. Miller and Clifton R. Wharton Jr., {{cite book | title = Pattern for Lifelong Learning | year =1973 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Human Imperative: A Challenge for the Year | year =1974 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Hesburgh Papers: High Values in Higher Education | year =1979 }}
* With Jerry Reedy, {{cite book | title =God, Country, Notre Dame: The Autobiography of Theodore M. Hesburgh | publisher =Doubleday | year =1990 | location =New York }}
* {{cite book | title = Travels with Ted and Ned | year =1992 }}
* Editor, {{cite book | title =The Challenge and Promise of a Catholic University | year =1994 }}

==Honors and awards==
{{external media| float = right| width = 180px| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?158217-1/congressional-gold-medal-ceremony Presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to Father Hesburgh by President Bill Clinton, July 13, 2000], [[C-SPAN]]}}
[[File:Fr. Ted Hesburgh's Presidential Medal of Freedom.jpg|thumb|upright|Hesburgh's [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]]]
Hesburgh received numerous honors and awards for his public service. In 1964, [[Lyndon B. Johnson|President Johnson]] awarded Hesburgh the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom|Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor.<ref name=GS171/><ref name=Ames26-27/> In 2000, Hesburgh was awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]], the first person from higher education to receive the honor.<ref name=Hendershott/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/publications/father-theodore-m-hesburgh-awarded-congressional-gold-medal|title=Congressional Gold Medal Recipient Father Theodore M. Hesburgh}}</ref>
[[File:Congressional Gold Medal Hesburgh.jpg|thumb|upright|Hesburgh's [[Congressional Gold Medal]]]]
On September 1, 2017, the [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS) released a First Class postage stamp honoring Hesburgh in the year of the 100th anniversary of his birthday. The release ceremony was held at the Joyce Center at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Hesburgh's awards include, among many others:
* Namesake of minor planet [[1952 Hesburgh]], discovered by the [[Indiana Asteroid Program]] (1952)
* Elected to the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] (1960)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theodore Martin Hesburgh |url=https://www.amacad.org/person/theodore-martin-hesburgh |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences |language=en}}</ref>
* Honorary member of the Austrian Catholic fraternity KÖHV Alpenland (1961)
* [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] (1964)
* Alexander Meiklejohn Award (1970) from the American Association of University Professors<ref name="Ames, p. 21" />
* Elected to the [[American Philosophical Society]] (1974)<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Theodore+Hesburgh&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>
* The Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award presented by [[Jefferson Awards for Public Service|Jefferson Awards]] (1976)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national|title=National - Jefferson Awards Foundation|website=Jeffersonawards.org|access-date=August 11, 2016|archive-date=November 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124043935/http://jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Sylvanus Thayer Award]] from the [[United States Military Academy]] (1980)<ref>Ames, p. 230.</ref>
* [[F. Sadlier Dinger Award]] by educational publisher [[William H. Sadlier, Inc.]] in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the ministry of religious education in America. (1982)
* [[Public Welfare Medal]] from the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]] (1984)<ref name=PublicWelfare>{{cite web|title=Public Welfare Award |url=http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_pwm |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |access-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604024100/http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_pwm |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref>
* Elected to the United States [[National Academy of Sciences]] (1984)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theodore M. Hesburgh |url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/deceased-members/54624.html |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=www.nasonline.org}}</ref>
* Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Worship (1993) from the Roosevelt Institute<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/four-freedoms-awards |title=Four Freedoms Awards &#124; Roosevelt Institute |access-date=2015-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325223647/http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/four-freedoms-awards |archive-date=March 25, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
* Namesake of the [[TIAA–CREF]]'s [[Hesburgh Award]] (1993)<ref>{{cite web|title=Theodore M. Hesburgh Award|url=http://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/institute/awards/hesburgh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829120451/https://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/institute/awards/hesburgh|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2014|publisher=Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America – College Retirement Equities Fund|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref>
* Blessed are the Peacemakers Award from [[Catholic Theological Union]] (1998)<ref>{{cite web |title=Blessed are the Peacemakers | date = December 6, 2022 |publisher=Catholic Theological Union |url=https://ctu.edu/peacemakers2023/ |access-date=December 7, 2022 }}</ref>
* Indiana Living Legend (2001) award from the [[Indiana Historical Society]]<ref>{{cite journal| title =Special Events: Living Legends Gala | journal =The Bridge | volume =7 | issue =4 | page=4 | publisher =Indiana Historical Society | location =Indianapolis | date =July 2001}}</ref>
* [[NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award]] (2004 inaugural recipient) for leadership in intercollegiate athletics<ref>{{cite web| title =NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award | publisher =NCAA | url =https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/events/awards/ncaa-president-s-gerald-r-ford-award | access-date =June 27, 2017}}</ref>
* Awarded the [[Sagamore of the Wabash]] by the [[Governor of Indiana]] [[Mitch Daniels]] in 2006.<ref>Jankowski, Jane [http://www.in.gov/apps/utils/calendar/presscal?PF=gov2&Clist=1_3_4_6_11_16_61&Elist=85959 "Wooden first honoree for new award created by Governor Daniels"]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Governor Daniels Press Release'', March 3, 2006 accessed April 10, 2011</ref>
* Honorary [[United States Navy Chaplain Corps|U.S. Navy chaplain]] (2013)<ref>{{cite press release |last=Garvey |first=Michael O. |title=Father Hesburgh to be Named Honorary Navy Chaplain
| date = April 11, 2013 |publisher=University of Notre Dame |url=http://news.nd.edu/news/38942-father-hesburgh-to-be-named-honorary-navy-chaplain/ |access-date=April 15, 2013 }}</ref>

===World records===
In a flight that took place on February 28, 1979, Hesburgh, one of a very few number of civilians to ride in a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, flew at Mach 3.35 (about 2,200 miles per hour) as a favor owed to him by President Jimmy Carter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ndsmcobserver.com/2015/03/memorial-tribute/ |title=Speakers Remember Stories of Hesburgh's Life |publisher=The Observer|date=March 5, 2015|website=Ndsmcobserver.com|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>O'Brien, pp. 158–59.</ref>

In 1982, after receiving his ninetieth honorary degree, Hesburgh's name was added to the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] as the individual with the "Most Honorary Degrees." As of 2013, he had received more than 150 honorary degrees.<ref name=NYT-1982Record>{{cite journal| author=Albin Krebs and Robert McG. Thomas Jr.| title =Notes on People: Hesburgh Nears Record | journal = New York Times | date =April 22, 1982| url =https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/22/nyregion/notes-on-people-hesburgh-nears-record.html?mcubz=1 | access-date =June 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name=WorldRecord/>

==Honorary degrees==
Hesburgh was the recipient of more than 150 [[honorary degree]]s.<ref name=Hendershott>{{cite book|title=Status Envy: The Politics of Catholic Higher Education|author=Anne Hendershott |page=15 |year=2009 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey}}</ref> These include:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hesburgh.nd.edu/fr-teds-life/a-leader-in-higher-education/honorary-degrees/ |title=Honorary Degrees // Father Hesburgh // University of Notre Dame |website=Hesburgh.nd.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Location
!Date
!School
!Degree
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1954 || [[Le Moyne College]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://lemoyne.edu/OURALUMNI/AWARDS/tabid/775/Default.aspx|title=Private College - Upstate, Central, Syracuse, NY - Le Moyne College|website=Lemoyne.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1955 || [[Bradley University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Chile}} || 1956 || [[Pontifical Catholic University of Chile]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Kansas}} || 1958 || [[Benedictine College|St. Benedict's College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1958 || [[Villanova University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Hampshire}} || 1958 || [[Dartmouth College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Rhode Island}} || 1960 || [[University of Rhode Island]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.uri.edu/commencement/2014/04/14/honorary-degree-recipients/|title=Honorary Degree Recipients|website=Web.uri.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1961 || [[Columbia University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 1961 || [[Princeton University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D.) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd/databases/honorary.html|title=Honorary Degree Index, 1748-2001 - Rare Books and Special Collections|website=Princeton.edu|access-date=2016-08-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618155303/http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd/databases/honorary.html|archive-date=June 18, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Massachusetts}} || 1962|| [[Brandeis University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brandeis.edu/trustees/hdr/recipients.html|title=Honorary Degree Recipients - Board of Trustees - Brandeis University|website=Brandeis.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1962 || [[Indiana University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/search-awards/honoree.shtml?honoreeID=779|title=Honoree: Search Awards: University Honors & Awards: Indiana University|website=Honorsandawards.iu.edu|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1963 || [[Northwestern University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/committees/honorary-degrees/honorary-degree-recipients.html#h |title=Honorary Degree Recipients: Office of the Provost - Northwestern University |access-date=2015-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411192353/http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/committees/honorary-degrees/honorary-degree-recipients.html |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1963 || [[Lafayette College]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
|-
| {{Flagu|Austria}} || 1965 || [[University of Vienna]] || Honorary Citizen  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum-zeitgeschichte.univie.ac.at/gedenkkultur/ehrenbuergerinnen/|title=Ehrungen an der Universität Wien|first=Katharina|last=Kniefacz|date=May 26, 2014|website=Forum-zeitgeschicte.univie.ac.at|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|California}} || 1965 || [[University of California Los Angeles]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Philippines}} || 1965 || [[Saint Louis University (Philippines)|Saint Louis University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Washington}} || 1965 || [[Gonzaga University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1965 || [[Temple University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.temple.edu/sites/temple/files/uploads/documents/2014_PastHonoraryDegreesRecipients.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126170611/http://www.temple.edu/sites/temple/files/uploads/documents/2014_PastHonoraryDegreesRecipients.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-11-26 |title=Past Honorary Degrees Recipients |website=Temple.edu |access-date=2016-08-11 }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Quebec}} || 1965 || [[Université de Montréal]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1966 || [[University of Illinois]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web |url=http://commencement.illinois.edu/assets/docs/Honorary%20Degree%20List.pdf.pdf |title=HONORARY DEGREES : 1891 - PRESENT |website=Commencement.illinois.edu |access-date=2016-08-11 |archive-date=November 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117135001/http://commencement.illinois.edu/assets/docs/Honorary%20Degree%20List.pdf.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Georgia (U.S. state)}} || 1966 || [[Clark Atlanta University|Atlanta University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1966 || [[Wabash College]] ||<ref name=Ames234>Ames, p. 234.</ref> 
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1967 || [[Fordham University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1967 || [[Manchester University (Indiana)|Manchester University]] ||<ref name=Ames234/>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1967 || [[Valparaiso University]] ||<ref name=Ames234/>
|-
| {{Flagu|Rhode Island}} || 1968 || [[Providence College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|California}} || 1968 || [[University of Southern California]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1968 || [[Michigan State University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://vprgs.msu.edu/honorary-degree-recipients-1885-2012 |title=Honorary degree recipients, 1885-2012 &#124; Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies |access-date=2015-04-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330125224/http://vprgs.msu.edu/honorary-degree-recipients-1885-2012 |archive-date=March 30, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1969 || [[Saint Mary's College (Indiana)|Saint Mary's College]] ||<ref name=Ames234/>
|-
| {{Flagu|Missouri}} || 1969 || [[Saint Louis University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|District of Columbia}} || 1969 || [[The Catholic University of America]] || [[Doctor of Humane Letters]] (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://commencement.cua.edu/res/docs/Master%20Listing%20of%20All%20Honorary%20Degrees.pdf |title=Honorary Degrees Conferred by The Catholic University of America |website=Commencement.cua.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1970 || [[Loyola University Chicago|Loyola University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1970 || [[Anderson University (Indiana)|Anderson College]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anderson.edu/alumni/awards/honorary |title=Honorary Degree Recipients &#124; Anderson University, a Christian College in Indiana |access-date=2015-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415104304/http://www.anderson.edu/alumni/awards/honorary |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1970 || [[State University of New York]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Utah}} || 1970 || [[Utah State University]] || [[Doctor of Arts]] (HD)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usu.edu/trustees/Honorary_Degrees_and_Commencement_Speaker/honorary_degrees_c.cfm|title=Utah State University Board of Trustees|website=usu.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1971 || [[Lehigh University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Connecticut}} || 1971 || [[Yale University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://secretary.yale.edu/programs-services/honorary-degrees/since-1702?field_degrees_value=All&field_year_value=All&keys=Hesburgh|title=Honorary Degrees Since 1702 - Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life|website=Secretary.yale.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1972 || [[King's College (Pennsylvania)|King's College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Massachusetts}} || 1972 || [[Stonehill College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1972 || [[Alma College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1973 || [[Syracuse University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.syr.edu/awards/honorary_1.html|title=SU Archives: Awards and Honors - Recipient of Honorary Degree|website=Archives.syr.edu|access-date=2016-08-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730115922/http://archives.syr.edu/awards/honorary_1.html|archive-date=July 30, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1973 || [[Marymount College, Tarrytown|Marymount College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1973 || [[Hobart and William Smith Colleges]] ||  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hws.edu/alumni/remarkable/honoraries.asp|title=Hobart and William Smith Colleges :: Honorary Degree Recipients|website=Hws.edu|access-date=2016-08-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195259/http://www.hws.edu/alumni/remarkable/honoraries.asp|archive-date=March 4, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1973 || [[Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion|Hebrew Union College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Massachusetts}} || 1973 || [[Harvard University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Colorado}} || 1974 || [[Regis University|Regis College]] ||  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regis.edu/~/media/Files/University/Community-Relations/HonoraryDegreesNEW.ashx |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630092111/http://www.regis.edu/~/media/Files/University/Community-Relations/HonoraryDegreesNEW.ashx |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1974 || [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Massachusetts}} || 1974 || [[Tufts University]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://trustees.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/hondeg.pdf |title=HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS : HISTORIC LIST |website=Trustees.tufts.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Tennessee}} || 1974 || [[Sewanee: The University of the South|The University of the South]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Oregon}} || 1975 || [[University of Portland]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=8305&pid=3144#1970s|title=Honorary Doctorates - Commencement - University of Portland|website=Up.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Connecticut}} || 1975 || [[Fairfield University]] || Doctor of Public Service  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairfield.edu/aboutfairfield/universityprofile/hononarydegrees/|title=Honorary Degree|website=Fairfield.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|North Carolina}} || 1976 || [[Davidson College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1976 || [[College of New Rochelle]] ||  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnr.edu/honorary-degree-recipients|title=Honorary Degree Recipients - The College of New Rochelle|website=Cnr.edu|access-date=2016-08-11|archive-date=August 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812184518/http://www.cnr.edu/honorary-degree-recipients|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Colorado}} || 1976 || [[University of Denver]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Wisconsin}} || 1976 || [[Beloit College]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beloit.edu/archives/documents/archival_collections/honorarydegrees/|title=Archives: Honorary Degrees - Beloit College|website=Beloit.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1977 || [[Dickinson College]] || [[Doctor of Sacred Theology]] (STD)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicles.dickinson.edu/encyclo/h/honorarydegrees/#H|title=Honorary Degrees Index - alphabetical list|website=Chroniclaes.dickinson.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|District of Columbia}} || 1977 || [[Georgetown University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1977 || [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Quebec}} || 1977 || [[Laval University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Belgium}} || 1978 || [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|South Carolina}} || 1978 || [[University of South Carolina]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1978 || [[University of Pennsylvania]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://secure.www.upenn.edu/secretary/hondegchron.html|title=Penn: Office of the University Secretary: Chronological Listing of Honorary Degrees|website=Upenn.edu|access-date=2016-08-11|archive-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116082112/https://secure.www.upenn.edu/secretary/hondegchron.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Belgium}} || 1978 || [[Université catholique de Louvain]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1978 || [[Duquesne University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Nova Scotia}} || 1978 || [[St. Francis Xavier University]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1979 || [[University of Evansville]] ||<ref>Ames, p. 236.</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1979 || [[Albion College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Utah}} || 1979 || [[University of Utah]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://admin.utah.edu/board-of-trustees/honorary-degree-nominations/honorary-degree-recipients-by-year/|title=Honorary Degree Recipients by Year - University Leadership|website=Admin.utah.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Massachusetts}} || 1979 || [[Assumption College (Worcester)|Assumption College]] ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Virginia}} || 1980 || [[College of William and Mary]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
|-
| {{Flagu|Maryland}} || 1980 || [[Johns Hopkins University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.jhu.edu/commencement/honorees/chrono.html|title=Honorary Degrees Awarded (Chronological Order) - Johns Hopkins University Commencement|first=Emily|last=Ades|website=Web.jhu.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 1980 || [[Seton Hall University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Alabama}} || 1980 || [[Tuskegee University|Tuskegee Institute]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1980 || [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|California}} || 1980 || [[University of San Diego]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Texas}} || 1980 || [[University of the Incarnate Word]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewordonline.org/125/honorarydegrees.html|title=The Word Online - 125 Years of Service|website=Thewordonline.org|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1981 || [[St. John Fisher College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Washington}} || 1981 || [[Seattle University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1981 || [[University of Toledo]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/provost/academic-honors-committee/honorary%20degree.html|title=Honorary Degrees|website=Utoledo.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/provost/academic-honors-committee/honorary%20degree.html#law|title=Honorary Degrees|website=Utoledo.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Iowa}} || 1981 || [[St. Ambrose University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1981 || [[University of Scranton]] ||  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scranton.edu/about/presidents-office/honorary-degree-recipients.shtml|title=Honorary Degree Recipients - Office of the President - About Us|website=Scranton.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scranton.edu/pdf/degree_recipients.pdf |title=The University of Scranton Honorary Degree Recipients |website=Scranton.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1981 || [[University of Cincinnati]] || [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uc.edu/trustees/honorary_awards/degrees/degree_recipients.html|title=Recipients|website=Uc.edu|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1981 || [[University of Michigan]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://president.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/06/honorary1836-1989.pdf |title=Honorary Degrees Awarded by the University of Michigan |website=President.umich.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1981 || [[Hope College]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hope.edu/president/honorary |title=Hope College Honorary Degree Recipients - 1866 to 2014 &#124; Hope College |access-date=2015-04-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418231251/http://hope.edu/president/honorary |archive-date=April 18, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Brazil}} || 1981 || [[University of Brasília]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1982 || [[New York University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1982 || [[Indiana State University]] ||<ref name=Ames238>Ames, p. 238.</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1982 || [[Madonna College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|California}} || 1982 || [[Loyola Marymount University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1982 || [[Hahnemann University Hospital|Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1982 || [[Kalamazoo College]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kzoo.edu/college/?p=history&s=honorary |title=College History &#124; About K &#124; Kalamazoo College |website=Kzoo.edu |date=2008-04-20 |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Colorado}} || 1982 || [[Colorado Heights University|Loretto Heights College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Dominican Republic}} || 1982 || [[Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Thailand}} || 1983 || [[Ramkhamhaeng University]] ||
*This Degree was Received [[wikt:in absentia|In Absentia]].
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1983 || [[Saint Joseph's College (Indiana)|Saint Joseph's College]] ||<ref name=Ames238/> 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 1983 || [[Rider University|Rider College]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rider.edu/commencement/lawrenceville-commencement/honorary-degree-recipients |title=Honorary Degree Recipients &#124; Rider University |website=Rider.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1983 || [[Colgate University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 1983 || Immaculate Conception Seminary || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Florida}} || 1984 || [[Saint Leo University|St. Leo College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|West Virginia}} || 1984 || [[West Virginia Wesleyan College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1984 || [[University of Notre Dame]] ||<ref name=Ames238/>   
|-
| {{Flagu|Montana}} || 1985 || [[Carroll College (Montana)|Carroll College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1985 || [[Mount St. Joseph University|College of Mount St. Joseph]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1985 || [[Holy Family University|Holy Family College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|North Carolina}} || 1985 || [[Duke University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trustees.duke.edu/honorary/1980s.php |title=Board of Trustees at Duke University: 1990s |access-date=2015-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304214616/http://www.trustees.duke.edu/honorary/1980s.php |archive-date=March 4, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Tennessee}} || 1985 || [[Christian Brothers University|Christian Brothers College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Brunswick}} || 1985 || [[St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)|St. Thomas University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1985 || [[Walsh College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Iowa}} || 1986 || [[Briar Cliff University|Briar Cliff College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Michigan}} || 1986 || [[Aquinas College (Michigan)|Aquinas College]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aquinas.edu/commencement/past_speakers.html |title=Aquinas College :: Commencement |access-date=2014-03-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328211818/http://www.aquinas.edu/commencement/past_speakers.html |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Nebraska}} || 1986 || [[University of Nebraska]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://nebraska.edu/docs/awards/docs/HonoraryDegreesChrono.pdf |title=University of Nebraska : Honorary Degrees : 1872 - 2016 |website=Nebraska.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1987 || [[University of Pittsburgh]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Guatemala}} || 1987 || [[Universidad Francisco Marroquín]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Malta}} || 1988 || [[University of Malta]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Missouri}} || 1988 || [[Rockhurst University|Rockhurst College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|West Virginia}} || 1989 || [[Wheeling Jesuit University|Wheeling Jesuit College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Louisiana}} || 1989 || [[Loyola University New Orleans|Loyola University]] ||  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loyno.edu/commencement/honorary-degrees |title=Honorary Degrees &#124; Commencement &#124; Loyola University New Orleans |website=Loyno.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Maryland}} || 1989 || [[Mount St. Mary's University|Mount Saint Mary's College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Rhode Island}} || 1989 || [[Brown University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Iowa}} || 1990 || [[Loras College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 1990 || [[Defiance College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Minnesota}} || 1990 || [[St. Olaf College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|District of Columbia}} || 1991 || [[George Washington University]] || Doctor of Public Service  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://provost.gwu.edu/sites/provost.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Honorary_Degrees_Past_Recipients%20%28WITHOUT%20honoris%20causa%29_08052013.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909223726/https://provost.gwu.edu/sites/provost.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Honorary_Degrees_Past_Recipients%20%28WITHOUT%20honoris%20causa%29_08052013.pdf |archive-date=September 9, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Louisiana}} || 1991 || [[Our Lady of Holy Cross College]] || <ref>{{cite web |url=http://olhcc.edu/about/honorary-degree-recipients.html |title=University of Holy Cross |website=Olhcc.edu |access-date=2016-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813072251/http://olhcc.edu/about/honorary-degree-recipients.html |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1992 || [[Gannon University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Iowa}} || 1993 || [[Mount Mercy University|Mount Mercy College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Hampshire}} || 1993 || [[Notre Dame College (New Hampshire)|Notre Dame College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|North Carolina}} || 1993 || [[Wake Forest University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://commencement.news.wfu.edu/c1993/ |title=1993 &#124; Commencement News &#124; Wake Forest University |website=Commencement.news.wfu.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 1994 || [[Marian University (Indiana)|Marian College]] ||<ref name="O’Brien, p. 299"/>
|-
| {{Flagu|Missouri}} || 1994 || [[Avila University|Avila College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1995 || [[North Park University|North Park College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Pennsylvania}} || 1996 || [[Saint Vincent College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Illinois}} || 1996 || [[University of St. Francis]] || Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)  <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stfrancis.edu/about/leadership/honorary-degrees/#.VTxTxpOS9Vs |title=Honorary Degrees |website=Stfrancis.edu |date=2015-05-03 |access-date=2016-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817225733/http://www.stfrancis.edu/about/leadership/honorary-degrees/#.VTxTxpOS9Vs |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu| Connecticut}} || 1996 || [[Albertus Magnus College]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albertus.edu/about-us/honorary-degrees.php |title=Honorary Degree Recipients at Albertus Magnus College |website=Albertus.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Australia}} || 1997 || [[University of Notre Dame Australia]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1997 || [[The College of Saint Rose]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Kentucky}} || 1998 || [[University of Kentucky]] || Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/about/Documents/Honorary_Degrees_Awarded.pdf |title=University Of Kentucky |website=Research.uky.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1998 || [[Touro Law Center|Touro College Law Center]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Florida}} || 1998 || [[Barry University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New York}} || 1999 || [[State University of New York Polytechnic Institute]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Connecticut}} || 1999 || [[Connecticut College]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/about/aboutconndocs/Connecticut_College_Honorary_Degrees.pdf |title=Connecticut College : HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS |website=Conncoll.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 2000 || [[University of Saint Francis (Indiana)|University of Saint Francis]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 2000 || [[Holy Cross College (Indiana)|Holy Cross College]] ||<ref>{{cite web| title =Holy Cross College Remembers Fr. Ted Hesburgh, C.S.C. | publisher =Holy Cross College | url = http://www.hcc-nd.edu/holy-cross-college-remembers-fr-ted-hesburgh/ | access-date =June 26, 2017}}</ref> 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 2000 || [[Saint Peter's University|Saint Peter's College]] ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saintpeters.edu/mission-and-history/honorary-degree-recipients/#2000 |title=Saint Peters University - Mission & History - Honorary Degree Recipients |website=Saintpeters.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|North Carolina}} || 2000 || [[North Carolina State University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/university-leadership/board-of-trustees/honorary-degrees/degrees-conferred/ |title=Board of Trustees &#124; University Leadership |website=Ncsu.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Texas}} || 2001 || [[St. Edward's University]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|New Jersey}} || 2001 || [[Georgian Court University|Georgian Court College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|Ohio}} || 2002 || [[Ohio State University]] || Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osu.edu/universityawards/dsa/honorary.html |title=Honorary Degree - University Awards & Recognition - The Ohio State University |website=Osu.edu |access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Indiana}} || 2002 || [[Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana|Ivy Tech State College]] || 
|-
| {{Flagu|California}} || 2002 || [[University of San Diego]] || 
|}

{{Incomplete list|date=April 2015}}

==See also==
* [[Land O'Lakes Statement]], 1967 statement calling for academic independence from Church control
* [[George Nauman Shuster]], assistant to Hesburgh

{{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Education}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Hahnenberg, Edward P. "Theodore M. Hesburgh, Theologian: Revisiting Land O’Lakes Fifty Years Later." ''Theological Studies'' 78.4 (2017): 930-959. 
* Hahnenberg, Edward P. ''Theodore Hesburgh, CSC: Bridge Builder'' (Liturgical Press, 2020) [https://books.google.com/books?id=RLfvDwAAQBAJ&dq=Hesburgh,+Theodore&pg=PR9 online].
* {{cite book |author=Hesburgh, Theodore M. |title=God, Country, Notre Dame: The Autobiography of Theodore M. Hesburgh |publisher=Doubleday |year=1990 |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/godcountrynotred00hesb |isbn=9780385266802 }}
* Miscamble, Wilson D. ''American Priest: The Ambitious Life and Conflicted Legacy of Notre Dame's Father Ted Hesburgh'' (2019) [https://archive.org/details/americanpriest--tedhesburghandapostchristiannationwilsonmiscamble2019 online]
* Murray, Paul T. " 'To Change the Face of America': Father Theodore M. Hesburgh and the Civil Rights Commission." ''Indiana Magazine of History'' 111.2 (2015): 121-154. [https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/download/23612/29306 online]
* {{cite book |author=O'Brien, Michael |title=Hesburgh: A Biography |publisher=[[Catholic University of America Press]] |year=1998 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/hesburghbiograph00obri |isbn=0-8132-0921-8 }}
* Ream, Todd C. and Michael J. James, eds. ''Hesburgh of Notre Dame: Assessments of a Legacy'' (2022) essays by experts. [https://www.amazon.com/Hesburgh-Notre-Dame-Assessments-Legacy/dp/3031124774/ excerpt]

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://hesburgh.nd.edu Biography from the University of Notre Dame]
* {{IMDb name|id=0381348|name=Theodore Hesburgh}}
* [http://www.american-presidents.org/2007/05/father-hesburgh-and-american-presidents.html Father Hesburgh and American Presidents]
*{{C-SPAN|14473}}
*[https://archive.today/20150311155805/http://www.southbendtribune.com/hesburgh/ Remembering Father Hesburgh] (''[[South Bend Tribune]]'' special report section/article compilation)
* {{discogs artist|Theodore Hesburgh}}
*{{Find a Grave|143109589|Fr Theodore Martin "Ted" Hesburgh}}

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{{University of Notre Dame presidents}}
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[[Category:1917 births]]
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[[Category:American Roman Catholic priests]]
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[[Category:Presidents of the University of Notre Dame]]
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