After six months of searching for its 25th president, Marquette University announced Wednesday that Provost Kimo Ah Yun has been unanimously elected to serve as the school’s next leader.
Ah Yun was elected by the Marquette Board of Trustees during a special board meeting.
He succeeds Michael Lovell, who led Marquette University from 2014 until the time of his death on June, 9, 2024. Lovell had sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Since his death, Ah Yun has been serving as both provost and acting president.
Ah Yun joined Marquette in 2016 as dean of the Diederich College of Communication. He was named acting provost in 2018 and then permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2019. He is the first person of color to lead Marquette.
“Dr. Kimo Ah Yun is a proven leader who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Marquette University’s Catholic, Jesuit mission, vision and values,” said Todd Adams, chair of Marquette’s board of trustees. “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.”
Throughout Ah Yun’s nearly six years as provost at Marquette, he has focused on enhancing community and belonging campuswide; investing in student success across academics, financial support and personal well-being; improving the lived experience for participating faculty and graduate students; increasing undergraduate student retention and improving graduation rates and first destination outcomes; and addressing complex challenges in the higher education landscape, according to an announcement from the school.
“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,” said Ah Yun. “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.”
