Marquette University names Kimo Ah Yun new president

Marquette University Provost Kimo Ah Yun was unanimously elected the 25th president of the university by the school’s board of trustees.

Ah Yun has served as acting president since June 10, succeeding Michael Lovell who died on June 9 from sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

The university announced Ah Yun’s appointment as president Wednesday. His election by the board of trustees followed what the university called “an intensive search process” by an 11-person search committee that began work in July.

Ah Yun is the first person of color to lead Marquette, and the Catholic, Jesuit university’s second lay president in its 143-year history.

He joined Marquette in 2016 as dean of the Diederich College of Communication, was named acting provost in 2018 and then named permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2019.

“Dr. Kimo Ah Yun is a proven leader who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Marquette University’s Catholic, Jesuit mission, vision and values,” Board Chair Todd Adams said in a statement. “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.”

Ah Yun was a first-generation college student. In a statement, he said he takes the mission to serve God seriously.

“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,” Ah Yun said.

Prior to joining Marquette, Ah Yun was associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento, where he also served as chair of the Department of Communication Studies, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and professor of communication studies.

His appointment comes as the university is facing internal pushback over budget cuts. Marquette faculty members are scheduled to take a vote of no confidence Monday focused on the actions of university leadership, including Ah Yun.

Academic Senate chair Paul Gasser, an associate professor of biomedical sciences, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.