MILWAUKEE — Kimo Ah Yun will serve as the next president of Marquette University, the university announced Wednesday.
Ah Yun was unanimously elected to be the 25th president during a special Marquette Board of Trustees meeting.
Ah Yun, 59, has served the university as both the acting president and provost since June 10. He was previously the provost and vice president for academic affairs, acting provost and dean of Marquette’s Diederich College of Communication.
He succeeds former president Michael Lovell. Lovell was the first lay president at the university. He died on June 9 from sarcoma, a form of cancer.
Ah Yun will be the first Marquette president of color and second lay president. He is a lifelong Catholic.
“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,” 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.”
Ah Yun said he will continue to work to make education accessible and help all Marquette students be successful “from their first day to their first destination following graduation,” both of which fall in line with Marquette’s mission.
“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,” Todd Adams, the chair of the Board of Trustees, said.
The Board of Trustees and an 11-member search committee considered candidates from across the country to fill the role starting in July. The committee started its search with a list of more than 100 people who were recommended, nominated, expressed interest, or were targeted as potential candidates for the university president position.
The university will now have to name an acting provost and find someone to fill the role permanently. The university said it again plans to execute a national search.
An inauguration ceremony will take place for Ah Yun in spring 2025.
“Dr. Ah Yun is a committed Catholic and a servant leader. On behalf of the Society of Jesus, I congratulate Dr. Ah Yun and his family, and I look forward to working in partnership with Dr. Ah Yun and his leadership team as we continue to serve the greater glory of God,” Rev. Karl Kiser said.
Ah Yun, a first-generation college student, earned his bachelor’s degree in communication studies from California State University, Sacramento. He went on to earn a master’s degree in speech from Kansas State University and a PhD in communication from Michigan State University. He is originally from Compton, Cali.
Before coming to Marquette, Ah Yun was the associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento. He also worked there as chair of the department of communication studies, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and professor of communication studies.
Ah Yun lives in Whitefish Bay. His wife, Catherine Puckering, is a faculty member at Marquette and teaches in the Diederich College of Communication. The couple has been married for 25 years and have three children, Benjamin, 22, Molly, 21 and Haven, 17.
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