Meet 蘑菇tv视频's 10th President - Ann Marie Fallon

Living Our Mission, Building Momentum

Meet 蘑菇tv视频's New President

Dr. Ann Marie Fallon has been named the university's 10th president. Her tenure started July 1.

Welcome From Dr. Fallon

Why I Chose Saint Mary

My name is Dr. Ann Marie Fallon, and this summer I have the honor of beginning my service as the next president of the 蘑菇tv视频.

I am honored to join this extraordinary community. As I've spent time learning about Saint Mary, one thing has become abundantly clear: this university has always been about people.

It's about students discovering their God-given potential. It's about faculty and staff who invest deeply in those they serve. It's about alumni whose connection to this place lasts a lifetime. And it's about a community rooted in the belief that every person has unique gifts to share with the world.

That spirit is woven into everything we do. And that is what drew me here.

For more than a century, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth have inspired a mission that continues to guide us today. I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of visionary leaders like Sister Diane Steele and Sister Mary Janet McGilley. Their pioneering spirit has led Saint Mary into a position of great strength, and I look forward to helping write the next chapter of the Saint Mary story.

As I begin this role, my first priority is simple: to learn from you. I arrive with curiosity, gratitude, and a commitment to listen.

I want to hear the stories that define Saint Mary. I want to understand the traditions that matter most. I want to learn about the challenges we face and the opportunities we should pursue together.

The strongest universities are built through partnership, and I believe our future will be shaped by the collective wisdom, talent, and dedication of this community.

In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to meeting many of you. Thank you for welcoming me into this community! Thank you for the work you do each day to advance our mission. I am excited for what lies ahead, and I am grateful to begin this journey with you.

Many blessings, and go Spires!

蘑菇tv视频's 10th President

Dr. Fallon most recently served as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y.鈥攁n independent liberal arts institution in the Catholic tradition of American higher education of over 3,500 students. She has held the role of Dean at Fisher since 2017.

Her previous positions include two years as provost at Marylhurst University in Oregon and director of the University Honors College at Portland State University.

During her time at Fisher, she co-chaired a committee that re-worked the institution's core curriculum, launched a new Honors Program, emphasized student research, and oversaw the creation of several new graduate and undergraduate programs.

Other highlights of her academic career include roles as a professor of Humanities and International Studies, Sustainability in the Humanities Scholar, and Fulbright Junior Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Trier, Germany. She has authored three books and 15 articles and chapters on topics ranging from comparative literature to the public humanities.

Dr. Fallon grew up on a tree farm in Oregon and a suburb just outside Portland.

When she was 16 she was a Rotary exchange student and spent a year in Jimenez, Mexico where she learned Spanish, took courses in health and literature and had a chance to travel around the country. She even joined a folkloric dancing troupe.

She took a greyhound bus across the country from Oregon to Pennsylvania where she graduated from Swarthmore College outside Philadelphia and then pursued her PhD at the University of Virginia.

President Fallon has two daughters and two stepchildren and is married to Francis Kayiwa. She loves to read, travel, write, meet people, and is always learning.

With two decades of senior academic leadership, Dr. Fallon brings a strategic, student-centered approach to her new role at the helm of Saint Mary. She is prepared to lead 蘑菇tv视频 into its second century by fostering inclusive growth, strengthening financial sustainability, and championing academic innovation.

Dr. Fallon's leadership approach is grounded in transparency, empathy, and a deep belief in the Catholic tradition in liberal arts and the education of the whole person. She has helped lead institutions and programs through transitional moments and she understands the critical importance of communication, vision, and empathy in steering an institution through change.

She describes her leadership style as centered on creating structures that foster innovation and collaboration. She's worked with faculty and staff to build connections, implement agile management models, and focus efforts to improve student services, promote equity, and invest in leadership development. She places students at the center of planning and allocation, which has resulted in increased retention.

Reflections from the President

An ongoing series of messages from the President's desk.

The starting line

Dear Spires,

Last Friday our student-athletes participating in Fall sports moved back into the res halls. Our football players and their families were lined up in front of the KLC well before we officially opened, buzzing with excitement and eager to get their room keys and move boxes into their new spaces.

As you all know, my first day at Saint Mary was in July鈥攁 time when there are far fewer students on campus (and virtually no residential undergraduates). But as of our first move-in day last Friday, there is a definite new vibrancy at Saint Mary. There鈥檚 a kind of buzz in the morning when I arrive on campus and see players already down on the new turf. In spite of the heat and the humidity, Spires are out in force preparing for a new season.

These early, humid mornings I think about all the ways we鈥攕tudents, faculty, and staff鈥攈ave prepared for this moment. We understand what it means for our students, and everything that鈥檚 gone into getting here: the early morning training and late-night homework sessions, the stress of applications and college visits, summer jobs, and FAFSA and tuition bills. We have run the gauntlet to be together this year and I'm excited to be running with all of you.

While I was out cheering on families climbing to the 5th floor of Maria, I also got to hang out with some younger siblings. One little sister, about four years old, stood out to me. She was so excited about the idea of her brother going to college, even if she couldn鈥檛 yet understand the enormity of the step he was taking.

Watching her, I thought about the generational impact of these life decisions, the chance her family and her brother were taking. Perhaps, years from now, when it is her turn to decide what comes next, that going to college will seem that much more possible because she once helped her big brother move into Saint Mary.

That鈥檚 one of the things I am beginning to appreciate about this community. While it might seem sometimes like we run these races solo, we are all carrying one another across the field as a team.

And this was only our first move-in day. In the days ahead, more students will arrive, classrooms will fill, and Saint Mary will once again be at full stride.

I, for one, can鈥檛 wait.

We'll see all of you in the stands or on the field soon!

- Ann Marie Fallon, PhD
President

What makes 蘑菇tv视频 distinctive?

Dear Saint Mary,

Throughout my first few months as your new president, I'd like to periodically take a moment and share my reflections鈥攚hat I've learned about this great institution and its wonderful, dedicated faculty and staff; what's caught my eye and given me things to think about.

Yesterday, officially two weeks into my term, I received an interesting question from a member of the community:

Are you picking up on a common thread when it comes to how faculty/staff describe 蘑菇tv视频 campus culture and what makes us distinctive?

The answer is yes.

The last few weeks I've had the chance to poke around different parts of this beautiful campus including the third and fourth floors of Saint Mary Hall. The old playbills outside the auditorium, the cane chair from Sister Mary Janet resting by a window and the corners where students have tucked messages of encouragement to future students. And just steps from this vibrant history, I've walked through the emerging SIM center in Nursing, toured our state-of-the-art science labs and watched our OT students take active breaks in the summer sunshine.

What makes this place distinctive? You can feel the vibrancy from over 100 years of students, faculty and staff committed to one another and to growing together in faith and friendship. On my calendar are the matriculation ceremonies for the new students starting on our campus and for our students in our prison programs. Our commitment as a university to helping everyone grow, to become their best selves, and to give back to our communities and to future generations is palpable.

I'm still listening and learning these early days, but I am also impressed by the commitments we've made in our strategic plan. We are looking forward to another fall of robust enrollments and faculty and staff who are committed to work with all of our students, meeting each person where they are. We have an active calendar of fall events including academic, athletic, and artistic presentations of student excellence.

Around every corner I have continued to find evidence of beauty, faith, commitment, and idealism. I feel deeply that I have come home.

Please keep those questions coming, and I look forward to our continued collaborations.

- Ann Marie

Greetings from Dr. Fallon

Keeping Up with Dr. Fallon

Dr. Fallon's visits and stops over her first 100 days include:

Conversations with donors and supporters, including Archbishop Shawn McKnight - June 17
蘑菇tv视频 Board of Trustees Meetings - June 18-19
- July 23
Leawood Chamber's 'State of Education' summit at JCCC - Aug. 4

Move-in Days: welcoming incoming 蘑菇tv视频 families and meeting new students - Aug. 7 & 24
Opening of the Year Reception - Aug. 20
Alumni & Friends away Tailgate at Bethany - Sept. 12
Fall Convocation - Sept. 16

- Sept. 17
- Sept. 1
蘑菇tv视频 Homecoming, hosting alumni and friends - Oct. 3
- Oct. 5
Investiture Ceremony and Presidential Reception - Nov. 10

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