Kimo Ah Yun Named First Black President of Marquette University

After five months of service as acting president, Kimo Ah Yun has been named the twenty-fifth president of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is the first person of color to lead the university in its 143-year history. According to the Department of Education’s most recent data, Marquette University enrolls about 7,500 undergraduate and 3,600 graduate students. Black students represent about 5 percent of the undergraduate population. Dr. Ah Yun began his career with Marquette University in 2016 as dean of the Diederich College of Communication. In 2018, he was selected to serve as acting provost. He was named the university’s permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs one year later. Over the course of his eight-year-tenure, he has focused on improving the university’s community engagement, student services, academic programming, and infrastructure. He led the development of new endowed halls to house the business and nursing schools, as well as the establishment of the Lemonis Center for Student Success. Prior to his career with Marquette University, Dr. Ah Yun spent two decades as a professor of communication studies at California State University, Sacramento. He held several leadership roles with Sacramento State, including associate dean of the College of...