Associate professor of global affairs Susan Ostermann has decided to reject her appointment to lead the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. The decision was announced in an email to students of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs from the school’s dean, Mary Gallagher, Thursday morning. Ostermann will remain a faculty member of the Keough School.
“Professor Susan Ostermann, a member of the Keough School faculty who was recently appointed director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, has decided not to move forward as director,” Gallagher wrote. “I am grateful for her willingness to serve and for the thoughtfulness with which she approached this decision.”
Ostermann was announced as incoming director by the University on Jan. 8, with her appointment effective July 1, 2026. Since then, Ostermann has faced backlash from 15 bishops and two cardinals, multiple campus groups and a number of professors for her outspoken abortion rights advocacy in multiple articles in the Chicago Tribune and elsewhere.
“The Liu Institute remains ... committed to supporting its faculty, students and staff as they carry forward this important work,” Gallagher wrote.
A demonstration to advocate for the University’s Catholic identity and protest Ostermann’s appointment was organized for this upcoming Friday by sophomore Luke Woodyard and junior Gabriel Ortner along with multiple student group sponsors. Woodyard confirmed to The Observer that the protest will continue as planned.
“This is great news, but although we won the battle, the war wages on. The fact that this pro abortion professor could ever be appointed signifies a much deeper Split between the students, deans, and administration,” he wrote in a statement to The Observer.
“The spirit in which we ‘March on the Dome’ was never just [Ostermann], it was making sure nothing like this shocking appointment is ever tolerated at Notre Dame,” he continued.
Ostermann shared the following statement at the end of the email.
“My only goal in accepting the Liu Institute Directorship was to serve as a steward for the Institute’s world-class faculty, students and staff; it is not a position I applied for, but I was truly honored to take it on,” Ostermann said. “At present, the focus on my appointment risks overshadowing the vital work the Institute performs, which it should be allowed to pursue without undue distraction. At the same time, it has become clear that there is work to do at Notre Dame to build a community where a variety of voices can flourish. Both academic inquiry and the full realization of human dignity demand this of us. Towards both of these ends, I have decided not to move forward as Director. Instead, I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the university to build a campus community where all can speak openly on the issues that matter to them most, and to continuing collaborations with colleagues at the Liu Institute and beyond.”
In a statement to The Observer, the University said, “We respect Professor Ostermann’s decision to decline the directorship of the Liu Institute. We appreciate her deep commitment to the Institute’s mission and her desire to advance its important work. She remains a highly valued member of our faculty, and we are grateful for her continued contributions as a scholar-teacher and member of the Notre Dame community.”
Editor’s Note: This is an evolving story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
