MILWAUKEE — Marquette University unanimously selects Dr. Kimo Ah Yun as its 25th president. He succeeds Dr. Michael Lovell, who passed away in June from sarcoma.
Dr. Ah Yun has served in the dual acting president and provost roles Dr. Lovell’s death. He will be the first person of color and second lay president in the university’s 143-year history. He served as dean of the Diederich College of Communication in 2016, was named acting provost in 2018 and then permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2019.
“The most important thing is integrity,” said Dr. Ah Yun during a news conference at Alumni Memorial Hall on Wednesday. “How do you lead with integrity each and every day? And I think that’s similar to what we do here at Marquette — finding your compass, finding how to lead the world. That’s why I love this place.”
Marquette University Board Chair Todd Adams said, “Dr. Kimo Ah Yun is a proven leader who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Marquette University’s Catholic, Jesuit mission, vision and values. As provost and acting president, he has been a leader in the university’s proactive efforts toward continuous improvement to ensure Marquette thrives for generations to come. Marquette is in a strong position in a challenging environment for higher education, and the Board of Trustees has full confidence in his ability to provide the stability necessary to lead Marquette forward to achieve our vision of being among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic, Jesuit universities in the world.”
After holding listening sessions and seeking feedback from students and staff, the Presidential Search Committee selected Dr. Ah Yun from a pool of over 100 candidates.
“At Marquette, we take seriously our mission to serve God by serving our students. My top priority is ensuring we continue to provide a transformational education for our students so that our graduates are problem-solvers and agents of change,” Dr. Ah Yun said. “Grounded in its Catholic, Jesuit mission, Marquette was founded on the promise of educational access, and as we approach our 150th anniversary, students remain at the heart of all that we do. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and Milwaukee community in our continuous pursuit of excellence, faith, leadership and service.”
Dr. Ah Yun earned his bachelor’s degree in communication studies from California State University, Sacramento, master’s degree in speech from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in communication from Michigan State University.
Dr. Ah Yun has three children, including a son studying criminology and computer science at Marquette.
Marquette will name an acting provost soon. Inauguration for Dr. Ah Yun will take place in the spring.
