Father Theodore M. Hesburgh served as president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952-1987 and is recognized as one of the most successful university presidents in history. He was very involved in both matters pertaining to the university and those affecting the larger world. One of his most important achievements during his tenure was turning the University over to lay control. In this study an attempt was made to understand how Hesburgh evaluated the need for the governing structure of the University of Notre Dame to be changed from a clerical Board to a predominantly lay Board of Trustees. Not only are the pragmatic pressures and stresses of the time that influenced the decision of interest, but factors related to Hesburgh's personal philosophical viewpoints that had developed over a longer period of time as well as what he envisioned for Notre Dame's future are also targets for analysis. The method involves analyses of three selected works of Hesburgh as well as several interviews with close observers of Father Hesburgh and the transition process. The findings support that Hesburgh's philosophical ideas, concern for pragmatic pressures, and his vision for the future of the University of Notre Dame all impacted his evaluation in deciding to shift the governing board of the University to a predominantly lay Board of Trustees. In particular, this study highlights how Hesburgh's personal philosophy regarding the idea of change and the role of the laity contributed to the decision. The dynamics that surround this transition mesh well with Baldridge's conclusions regarding university change (1971), leading to an analysis power loss and power gain among Hesburgh and other stakeholders, supplemented by a consideration of how well this change in governance fits the literature on "radical change." [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]