University President Kimo Ah Yun was inaugurated April 29 at the Al McGuire Center after being named Marquette’s 25th president in November of 2024.
The theme of the inauguration was “Open your heart. Find your compass. Change the world,” and in his speech, Ah Yun explained how he found his compass, opened his heart to Marquette and plans to help students change the world.
Ah Yun addressed being a first-generation student, his path to Marquette, the legacy of late president Lovell, investing in Marquette and the “momentum” of the university.
Here’s what to know about his speech:
Momentum
Ah Yun said Marquette’s “momentum” can be seen all throughout campus in places like the new nursing building, David A. Straz Hall, the Lemonis Center for Student Success and the new Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility.
The Lemonis Center’s goal is to help students stay at Marquette and thrive, and Ah Yun said it’s paying off.
“We have the highest retention rate in Marquette’s recorded history. That’s momentum,” Ah Yun said.
Ah Yun said the Time to Rise campaign surpassed its goal of $750 million and said it’s raised more than $800 million. He said $300 million will go to student scholarships.
“Marquette’s on pace this year to have the highest number of dollars raised in the history of Marquette University,” Ah Yun said.
Investing in “our people”
Pro- union protesters at Marquette, including students, staff and faculty, were standing outside the Al Mcguire center during the inauguration, demanding better compensation.
“We need to invest in the compensation of our people because we’re called to take care of our people,” Ah Yun said.
With the increasing number of new students, Marquette is seeking to expand geographic student diversity in alignment with the Marquette 2031: Securing Our Future Plan. The new enrollment plan will draw students from states other than Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, where 70% of Marquette’s student population is from.
“It’s just not finding students, but it’s finding the right students,” Ah Yun said. “The students who will grow and prosper at Marquette University.”
Ah Yun also discussed investing in advancement opportunities for the university to help it grow.
“We’ll continue to invest in our advancement opportunities, because these are the individuals that are helping to generate millions of dollars for scholarships to continue to make Marquette accessible,” Ah Yun said.
Lastly, Ah Yun said he will focus on investing in better teaching spaces to improve the student experience, which has been a topic of discussion in University Academic Senate meetings this year.
Ah Yun didn’t announce any new initiatives during his speech in the way Lovell did during his 2014 inaugural address but reinforced the goals of the Securing Our Future plan and built on current initiatives.
Being a first-generation student
Ah Yun was born in Compton, California, and thanked his parents for giving him the tools he needed to succeed.
“I say that you get to a place because you have people that pour into you, and when they pour a little bit into you, you become a better person,” Ah Yun said.
Ah Yun said his dad worked laying floor, tile and carpet to make a living for his family.
“When I was young, he would take me to work with him and he said, ‘Either I will teach you a trade or you will be worked so hard you’ll want to go off and get an education,'” Ah Yun said.
His mom cleaned houses, cooked for people and worked in fields, but most importantly, she taught Ah Yun “integrity.”
“They taught me about working hard, they talked about helping other people, they gave me my compass. That’s the compass I continue to use today,” Ah Yun said.
Path to Marquette and relationship with Michael Lovell
When Ah Yun made the choice to move to Milwaukee for a job at Marquette, his three kids were in fourth, eighth and ninth grade, and he said it didn’t feel like time to move, but then he met then President, Michael Lovell.
“One of the things that Mike told me every day is ‘figure out how to be the best version of yourself, figure out how you make decisions, hard decisions, but you go to bed at night knowing that you made those decisions for the right reason,'” Ah Yun.
Ah Yun said he learned how to be a leader from Lovell and after his passing last June after a three-year battle with Sarcoma, Ah Yun said he will bring Lovell’s legacy into his presidency through the way he guides the university.
“Mike taught me that I had the capacity to change the world,” Ah Yun said.
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected].
