Hesburgh of Notre Dame

An Introduction to His Life and Work

Edited by Todd C. Ream

Theodore Martin Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917-2015) was the most widely recognized priest and university president of the twentieth century.

His tenure as the leader of the University of Notre Dame not only spanned 35 years (1952-1987) but also arched across the most tumultuous era in the history of higher education—the late 1960s through the early 1970s.

During those years, the university’s faculty grew from 350 to 950, enrollment climbed from 4,979 to 9,600, the annual operating budget went from $9.7 million to $176 million, the endowment jumped from $9 million to $350 million, and funding for research soared from $735,000 to $15 million. Over 40 new buildings were also added during his presidency.

As a public intellectual, Hesburgh also invested in the debates that defined the mid to late twentieth century. At a time when such intellectuals were in retreat, Hesburgh contributed to policy efforts related to science and technology, civil and human rights, and foreign relations and peace. At the core of his commitment to those issues was his vocation as a priest and his belief in serving as a mediator between heaven and earth.

Assessing Hesburgh’s legacy, however, is difficult due to the lack of concise ways to access his thought and the nature of his contributions. By highlighting his own words, this volume fills that void by offering insights into how he transformed the University of Notre Dame and addressed the pressing debates of his day.

Lexington Books

Pages: 358 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-7936-2540-3 • Hardback • August 2021 • $133.00 • (£102.00)

978-1-7936-2542-7 • Paperback • April 2023 • $42.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-7936-2541-0 • eBook • August 2021 • $40.50 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Religion / Clergy, History / United States / 20th Century, Social Science / Sociology of Religion

Hesburgh of Notre Dame

An Introduction to His Life and Work

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Theodore Martin Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917-2015) was the most widely recognized priest and university president of the twentieth century.
His tenure as the leader of the University of Notre Dame not only spanned 35 years (1952-1987) but also arched across the most tumultuous era in the history of higher education—the late 1960s through the early 1970s.
During those years, the university’s faculty grew from 350 to 950, enrollment climbed from 4,979 to 9,600, the annual operating budget went from $9.7 million to $176 million, the endowment jumped from $9 million to $350 million, and funding for research soared from $735,000 to $15 million. Over 40 new buildings were also added during his presidency.
As a public intellectual, Hesburgh also invested in the debates that defined the mid to late twentieth century. At a time when such intellectuals were in retreat, Hesburgh contributed to policy efforts related to science and technology, civil and human rights, and foreign relations and peace. At the core of his commitment to those issues was his vocation as a priest and his belief in serving as a mediator between heaven and earth.
Assessing Hesburgh’s legacy, however, is difficult due to the lack of concise ways to access his thought and the nature of his contributions. By highlighting his own words, this volume fills that void by offering insights into how he transformed the University of Notre Dame and addressed the pressing debates of his day.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 358 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-7936-2540-3 • Hardback • August 2021 • $133.00 • (£102.00)

978-1-7936-2542-7 • Paperback • April 2023 • $42.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-7936-2541-0 • eBook • August 2021 • $40.50 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Religion / Clergy, History / United States / 20th Century, Social Science / Sociology of Religion

Author

Todd C. Ream serves on the higher education and honors faculties at Taylor University, as a fellow with the Lumen Research Institute, and as the publisher for Christian Scholar’s Review. This book is the second in a series of books he is preparing on the life and legacy of Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C

Table of Contents

Chapter 1The Church
Introduction
The Work of Mediation (1961)
A Rapidly Changing Catholicism (1974)
Growing up Catholic in America: Ten Americans Reflect on Their Catholic Upbringing and What It Means to Them Today (1976)
Reflections on [the] Priesthood (1983)
Are Religious Orders Obsolete? Theodore Hesburgh Responds (1986)
Chapter 2The University
Introduction
Catholic Higher Education in Twentieth-Century America (1961)
Looking Back at Newman (1962)
The Idea of the Catholic University or The Land O’ Lakes Statement (1967)
The Vision of a Great Catholic University in the World of Today (1968)
Action in the Face of Student Violence (1969)
Catholic Education and the Challenge of the Seventies (1971)
The Catholic University Today (1982)
Chapter 3Science & Technology
Introduction
Science and Modern Man (1955)
Science Is Amoral: Need Scientists Be Amoral, Too? (1963)
Scientists Cannot Be Neutral (1968)
Science and Technology for a Global Society (with Peter J. Henriot, 1979)
The Role of the Academy in a Nuclear Age (1985)
Chapter 4Civil & Human Rights
Introduction
A Universal Suffrage Law (1960)
Integer Vitae: Independence of the United States Commission on Civil Rights (1971)
Toward Racial Justice: A Call for Massive Change (1972)
Achieving Civil Rights (1974)
Brown after 25 Years (1979)
The End of Apartheid in America (1986)
Chapter 5Foreign Relations & Peace
Introduction
Freedom (1968)
A New Vision for Spaceship Earth (1973)
If You Were Truly Brothers (1974)
Development: For Whom and for What (1975)
Human Development and the Future of the Third and Fourth Worlds (1979)
Chapter 6Service
Introduction
Compassion Means Involvement (1968)
A National Service Proposal (1969)
Service to Others (1980)
The Role of Voluntarism in America (1982)
Chapter 7Intercollegiate Athletics
Introduction
The True Spirit of Notre Dame (1954)
On Being Number One (1964)
College Football: The True Meaning of the Game (1966)
To Compete with Honor (1983)
Chapter 8Leadership
Introduction
The Presidency: A Personalist Manifesto (1977)
Academic Leadership (1988)
Where Are College Presidents’ Voices on Important Public Issues? (2001)
Epilogue

Reviews

Much has been written of Father Hesburgh's work and influence as priest-president of the University of Notre Dame for thirty-five years, and as a member of numerous academic and government commissions and boards, but this book, a compilation of his most important public addresses, reveals the spirit and motivation behind these various activities. It is an important contribution to the growing Hesburgh literature, and better than most, it helps the reader understand the man himself.

— Thomas E. Blantz, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of History, University of Notre Dame

Hesburgh of Notre Dame demonstrates the breadth of thought and scholarship of Father Ted Hesburgh. It is a first-hand account of the Civil Rights Commission and demonstrates how racial justice is a cyclical movement to address the original sin of our nation. But not only that. The breadth of thought, spiritual hopefulness, awareness of interdependence, the role of higher education and the general pursuit of truth are all reasons to delve into this collection. It lifts up the reality of the twentieth century concerns in both a global and local context. Fr. Ted comes through as a hopeful visionary and hard worker for positive change in education, our nation and our world. A worthy model for our time.

— Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice

This unique volume gives the full measure of an extraordinary man in his own words. Here we meet Hesburgh the leader, educator, optimist, Americanist, social justice advocate, voice for moral ideals in politics, and, above all, priest. He was the priest who promoted lay leadership, the celibate who pushed for gender equity, the man who sought to be, in Todd Ream's words, 'Christ's mediating presence in the world.' Ream's judicious selection of Hesburgh's writings and incisive introductions to his work make this volume invaluable.

— William T. Cavanaugh, Professor of political theology, author of The Myth of Religious Violence

For decades, Fr. Theodore Hesburgh was a trusted voice on issues of civil rights, social progress, and the purposes of the university. This volume offers a compelling introduction to his thought, which was grounded in a clear moral vision that put the dignity of every human being at its core and remains relevant to the challenges of our own time.

— Roger W. Ferguson, CEO TIAA

Hesburgh of Notre Dame is an amazing collections of items that together really provide more than it promises, “An Introduction to His Life and Work.” It provides the reader with an accurate picture of a Man for All Seasons, my friend and long-time role model, Father Ted – Hesburgh of Notre Dame and the World.

— Charles E. Young, Chancellor Emeritus UCLA, University of Florida

Hesburgh of Notre Dame

An Introduction to His Life and Work

Edited by Todd C. Ream

Hesburgh of Notre Dame

An Introduction to His Life and Work

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