Editor's Note: Subsequent to publication, Susan Ostermann has declined the appointment as the next head of the university's Liu Institute. 

Pro-life students at Notre Dame plan to hold a public protest Friday night against the appointment of an abortion supporter as the next head of the university’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.

Organizers plan to meet at 6 p.m. at Notre Dame’s South Quad for speeches and then walk to the campus’s Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes for a candlelight prayer service.

“It’s supposed to be constructive, not destructive. We’re not beating up Notre Dame, we’re trying to help it get back to the right path,” said Luke Woodyard, 20, a sophomore from Evansville, Indiana, majoring in theology and economics, and one of the organizers.

On January 8, Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs announced the appointment of Susan Ostermann, a professor of global affairs, as the next head of the university’s Liu Institute. Between May 2022 and May 2024, Ostermann co-authored 11 articles for newspapers and websites arguing for legal abortion and against attempts to ban it.

In the articles, Ostermann, who is also a consultant for the Population Council, which advocates for contraception and abortion worldwide, links opposition to abortion to white supremacy during the 19th century; describes laws banning abortion as “forced pregnancy and childbirth,” “trauma” and “violence”; calls crisis-pregnancy centers “anti-abortion rights propaganda sites”; and calls for Congress to cut off Medicaid funds to any state that doesn’t legalize abortion.

Woodyard told the Register that while participants are asking Notre Dame to withdraw the appointment of Ostermann, they are also concerned with what they see as a more general drift away from Notre Dame’s Catholic identity.

“It’s a long string of university action that is against the Catholic faith, and this is not acceptable,” said Woodyard, who serves as politics editor of The Irish Rover, the student newspaper at Notre Dame, and director of operations for Notre Dame Right to Life, both of which are sponsoring the event.

Another organizer told the Register the Ostermann appointment reflects what he considers an unhealthy concern for respect from non-Catholic sources.

“I love it here. The Catholic community that I’ve found here is exceptional. But I’m disappointed with the direction the administration is taking the university, in a broader, secular-world way,” said Gabriel Ortner, 29, a junior from McLean, Virginia, a theology and honors mathematics major, and deputy grand knight of the Knights of Columbus council at Notre Dame.

He said Notre Dame ought to emphasize Catholic principles, including pursuing the true, the good, and the beautiful, instead of aiming for standards set by secular universities.

“I get the sense that the administration gets its direction from the 17 or so elite schools who the media say are better than us,” Ortner said. “I think those universities are going to realize that they’re not on the right path themselves, and I think Notre Dame is making a mistake in following them.”

Ostermann could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

A spokesman for Notre Dame contacted by the Register on Wednesday provided a written statement supporting both Ostermann and the right of the students to protest. 

“The University of Notre Dame remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to the inherent dignity of the human person and to the sanctity of life at every stage. We respect the perspectives of our students and their desire to be heard; this event is an example of the vibrant and deeply engaged community that makes Notre Dame a special place," the statement reads. 

“‌Professor Susan Ostermann was appointed director of the Liu Institute for her expertise in Asian studies, particularly her research on regulatory compliance in areas such as conservation, education, and child labor. She has stated clearly that she respects the university's position on the sanctity of life, and that as director, she understands her role is to support the diverse research of the Institute's scholars and students, not advance a personal political agenda.”

On Feb. 11, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the diocese that includes Notre Dame, released a 1,150-word statement, describing the appointment of Ostermann as a scandal and calling on the university to rescind it. Eighteen other U.S. Catholic bishops have issued statements supporting Bishop Rhoades’ stand, according to the Sycamore Trust, an independent organization that tracks Notre Dame’s commitment to Catholicism.

On Tuesday, Bishop Rhoades led a public Rosary at the grotto, praying for Notre Dame’s commitment to its Catholic mission.

William Dempsey, chairman and founding president of the Sycamore Trust, told the Register the upcoming protest demonstrates the commitment many students at Notre Dame have to Catholic teachings.

“We’re deeply impressed with the students’ fidelity to the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of human life, and with their courage in openly urging the university to rescind this appointment. It’s yet another example of the disparity between the large number of faithful students at Notre Dame and the Notre Dame administration on matters bearing on the Catholic identity of the university,” Dempsey told the Register.

While the protest is organized by students, Holy Cross Father Wilson Miscamble, a professor emeritus of history at Notre Dame, plans to speak at it. He wrote an article criticizing the appointment for First Things published Jan. 28 .

“I’m deeply grateful to our wonderful students for their deep concern that is going to be well expressed at this protest,” Father Miscamble told the Register. “And I think it’s fair to say that the students have a far better sense of the Catholic identity of Notre Dame, what is needed to retain it, than the administrators who made this appointment, and those who refuse to rescind it.”