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On Friday, November 1, St. �������� officially installed its 12th president, Marcheta P. Evans, PhD — the beginning of a new chapter for the 119-year-old University. 

“As the first Black woman in this role, I stand as a testament to the resilience and vision of this institution and this community,” President Evans said in her inaugural address. “I am filled with pride, not only in this personal milestone but in what it represents for St. ��������: a community that values inclusion, justice, and the boundless potential in each person.”

The historic day began with an inaugural Mass in the newly restored and reopened Our Lady of Victory Chapel. Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided over the service and said a special blessing for President Evans. Following the Mass, the St. Kate’s community made their way to The O’Shaughnessy for the installation ceremony — a vibrant celebration that featured performances by Jevetta Steele and Grammy Award-winning group Sounds of Blackness. 

The lively ceremony was led by Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Anne K. McKeig ’89, JD, and included remarks from speakers representing the St. Kate’s community, the diocese, and institutions of higher education: Archbishop Hebda; Suzanne Rivera, PhD, president of Macalester College; Lamont Repollet, EdD, president of Kean University; Luul Adam ’25, St. Kate’s student senate president; and Stephanie de Sam Lazaro ’05, MAOT’06, OTD’14, St. Kate’s faculty senate president. In her remarks, McKeig also recognized two former St. �������� presidents who were in attendance to celebrate the University’s 12th leader: President Anita Pampusch ’60, PhD (1984–97), and President Rebecca Koenig Roloff ’76 (2016–24).

During the official investiture, Jill Underdahl, CSJ, ’92, representing University founders the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, presented President Evans with a scroll wrapped in lace from LePuy, France, where the first CSJs came together and shared their skill of lacemaking. Then, Chair of the Board of Trustees Samantha Hanson presented President Evans with a presidential medallion engraved with the University seal and mission, marking her formal installation as president of St. ��������. 

“Dr. Evans is a wise and experienced leader,” Hanson said in her introduction. “She is the president we sought, wanted, and need; and she is a living example of what St. Kate's is all about.”

Before President Evans delivered her inaugural address, she was introduced by three special speakers: her daughters, Martina P. McGhee, PhD, Morgan P. McGhee, and Brittany D. McGhee. Each shared stories of their mother, highlighting her determination, her passion for education, and her impact on students as an educator. Martina shared, “I would come home for a visit on a random weekend, and there would be students sitting at the kitchen table, doing a puzzle, or out at dinner with us. …It was always clear that she had become part of the communities that she serves.”

In her address, President Evans spoke about being raised by her grandparents and the enduring values of resilience and community they instilled in her — values that became the bedrock for her life and career. 

“One guiding principle from my grandparents was that when much is given, much is required,” she said. “Service to others is the greatest gift we can give and the foundation upon which we build a meaningful life. I am here because of that foundation, and I am ready to serve this University with my whole heart.”

President Evans shared her leadership vision: Soaring Together, inspired by her journey and values, as well as by the mission and history of St. Kate’s. She also outlined priorities for her presidency, which include commitments to academic excellence; diversity, equity, and inclusion; student success and wellbeing; institutional sustainability; community partnerships; and research and creative activity. 

She ended by issuing a charge to all present to “be a community that supports one another, celebrates each success, and lifts each other through every hardship.”

“Just as I have been lifted by a village, we too must be a village — for each other, for our students, and for our community,” continued President Evans. “When we rise together, there are no limits to what we can achieve.”  

Before a final send-off to the music of Sounds of Blackness, students Madeline Maurer ’25 and Jennifer Slendak ’26 from the Dew Drop Drama Company performed Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Power of Firsts,” a paean to the importance of education for women and girls: “These girls don’t want to be unbelievable /  they want to be believed in, / for educated girls not to be a marvel / but a movement.”

Photos by Rebecca Zenefski Slater ’10 / By Rebecca Studios