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Fr.
Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC
As
president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, I continue in
retirement much as I did as CEO: a blend of domestic and foreign
travel, much of it as a  member
of international organizations; correspondence and phone calls;
articles and speeches; guest appearances lecturing in Notre Dame
classrooms; and presiding over liturgies in University residence
halls.
When
I stepped down as head of Notre Dame on June 1, 1987, I ended the
longest tenure among active presidents of American institutions
of higher learning. After a year-long sabbatical, I returned to
a retirement office in the newly-named Hesburgh Library. One of
my first projects was completing an autobiography, God, Country,
Notre Dame (Doubleday, 1990).
My major
retirement role is developing several Notre Dame institutes and centers,
principally the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and
the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. In 1988, Mrs. Kroc,
widow of the founder of the McDonald's hamburger chain, contributed
$6 million to build a center to house both the institutes; it is called
the Hesburgh Center for International Studies.
In
July 2000, I was honored to receive the Congressional Gold Medal
in recognition not only of my role in American higher education,
but also for public service during 15 presidential appointments,
including chairmanship of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
I have
also had the privilege of serving four Popes, three as permanent
Vatican City representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
At the request of Pope Paul VI, in 1972 we formed the Ecumenical
Institute at Tantur, Jerusalem, which Notre Dame continues to operate.
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Br.
Binoy Gomes, CSC
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Fr.
Mario Lachapelle, CSC
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