Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gov. Daniels on next Purdue University president

The next president of Purdue University will have statewide impact, and Governor Mitch Daniels is giving his input on what kind of leader he wants on the job.

The first character quality he mentioned was “change agent.” Daniels added, "Someone who sees a great opportunity in Purdue and can make it leap further forward in excellence, so it’s on par with Cal Tech and M.I.T."

When asked if he wants the job, Daniels said, "I have no comment on that. I've said I won't talk about a next job until later this year at the soonest."

The presidential search committee continues to meet, but has no set timeline for getting a list of finalists to the Purdue Board of Trustees. President France Córdova is stepping down this summer at the end of her contract.

Gov. Daniels said the large number of international students who choose Purdue is a testament to its global reach and reputation. He said he wants to see a strong leader who can make a great university even better.

"I'd like to see it commit itself fully to a stronger, perhaps slightly more focused academic mission. It goes without saying that what is taught so well here at Purdue is what the nation and the state needs most: Math, science, engineering, agricultural science - the critical intellectual building blocks of a winning national economy."

Besides the West Lafayette campus, Purdue's president oversees four regional campuses, nearly a dozen statewide technology locations, and an Extension office in all 92 counties.