Sister Sharon Suria spreads her passion for women’s empowerment

It is no exaggeration to call Sister Sharon Sourier of the Sisters of Notre Dame a activist for women and vulnerable groups.

A lifelong educator, Sister Sharon helped open Archbishop Keough High School for girls in Baltimore and served as vice principal and first female athletic director at Bishop Walsh High School in Cumberland. She later became the first dean of the School of Education at the University of Notre Dame of Maryland, overseeing the school’s expansion to include 11 master’s degrees, two doctoral degrees, and 18 additional certificate programs.

“SSND is all about education,” says Sister Sharon, who just celebrated her 60th anniversary as a School Sister of Notre Dame and now serves as assistant to the president for special projects at the University of Notre Dame in Maryland. “I believe that the noblest calling is to develop the limitless potential of each and every student, and that is truly our mission.”

Notre Dame Sister Sharon Sliar, a second-term member of the Maryland Governor’s P-20 Leadership Council since 2015, said she has learned many life strategies from being an athlete. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Sister Sharon grew up worshipping at St. Bernardine Church in West Baltimore and attending the church’s parochial school. She graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory School in 1961 and her original plan was to become a doctor. She enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, but was allergic to some of the antibiotics used in the operating room.

During her formation as a young nun, Sister Sharon had several teaching assignments that helped her discover her passion.

“I always wanted to do something where I could see someone grow,” said Sister Sharon, who earned her bachelor’s degree from what is now the University of Notre Dame of Maryland, a master’s in chemistry from Villanova University and a doctorate in educational administration from Boston University.

Sister Sharon encouraged students to take on career challenges and secure valuable internships. Many of these girls were shy at times, but through Sister Sharon’s mentoring, they were able to express their opinions. Sister Sharon also helped students secure grants and financial aid to pursue careers in education.

In 1988, she was tasked with developing a graduate program in education. Notre Dame currently offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in education at its Charles Street campus and seven other campuses across the state. Sister Sharon spearheaded the development of the university’s first doctoral program, the Doctor of Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations, which awarded its first degree in 2008. She also served as dean and chief academic officer.

Sister Sharon, who served two terms as a member of the Maryland Governor’s P-20 Leadership Council, learned many of her life strategies from her experiences as an athlete. She played tennis with former Grand Slam champion Chris Evert and was an avid golfer. She always faced obstacles to succeed.

She also says she draws some of her strategies from a book called “Rare Leadership” by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder.

“We had to deal with all the political stuff here to get these programs done,” Sister Sharon said, “and I really believe we were able to do it because it wasn’t just positional, it was personal. I always made sure to go and meet the people I needed to work with. We would have conversations and discuss what needed to be done and how it would be good for both of us.”

During her tenure, Sister Sharon led the education department in pursuing and achieving national accreditation for all graduate and undergraduate education programs (CAEP), making Notre Dame the first private university in Maryland to achieve this accreditation.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame also partner with the Matenwa Learning Community School in Haiti. Sister Sharon visited Haiti in 2016 and noticed the great need for quality education amid extreme poverty. She was inspired to make a difference in Haiti and began working with a team to develop a multi-year program focused on teacher training. The program, known as “Training Teachers,” came to fruition in the summer of 2017 when the four-person team set foot on Lagonave Island off the coast of Haiti.

Teacher training efforts continued, with the group making several more trips to Lagonave between 2017 and 2020. The country has adopted Notre Dame’s math curriculum for first through third graders, accompanied by teaching videos and translated into Creole.

“The state is now considering using our curriculum in La Gonave,” Sister Sharon said.

In 2011, when the University of Notre Dame Maryland became the University of Notre Dame Maryland and the School of Education became the School of Education, Sister Sharon was named its first dean.

“Women have the opportunity for leadership and they need to be involved because they see things differently than men do,” Sister Sharon said. “They should want the change.”

Fighting racism

During Sister Sharon’s time at Bishop Walsh High School, the boys’ basketball team began to diversify its student body and become more competitive, and she recalled one time when the Cumberland school was playing for the league championship and she noticed a racist sign on the other side of the court.

She immediately notified the opposing basketball coach that the sign needed to be removed.

He refused.

“If it’s not removed, we won’t play,” Sister Sharon remembers telling him.

“You’re going to lose the championship,” he shot back.

“Yes, we will lose the championship, but there will be a story in the papers tomorrow,” warned the determined nun.

Sister Sharon then told the team they would not play in the game unless the sign was removed, with two of the players telling her the game was more important.

She responded: “No, you’re not. It’s about dealing with your life, it’s more important than a game.”

The signs were removed just minutes before the game was scheduled to start.

“That was a barrier that was removed,” she said.