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Thursday, Jun 21, 2012 3:45 PM UTC

Indiana Gov. Daniels named next Purdue president

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Indiana Gov. Daniels named next Purdue presidentIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels speaks to a student after being named as the next president of Purdue University by the school's trustees in West Lafayette, Ind., Thursday, June 21, 2012. Daniels will take the helm of the school after leaving office in January and succeeds France Cordova who will leave in July after five years at Purdue's helm. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)(Credit: AP)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels was hailed as a visionary who could bring innovation despite his lack of academic credentials as he was introduced Thursday as the next president of Purdue University, quashing speculation he could be the GOP nominee for vice president.

Purdue officials announced the former White House budget director and Eli Lilly executive would be the university’s 12th president following a unanimous vote by the school’s Board of Trustees, eight of whom were appointed by Daniels. One trustee was out of the country and did not vote.

The governor will replace France Cordova, who is stepping down in July after five years at Purdue’s helm.

“He’s a visionary. He’s a strategist. He’s an innovator. But most of all, he’s a doer,” said trustee Chairman Keith Krach.

The two-term governor and former White House budget director will take office in January once his term as governor expires. Daniels, once thought to be mulling a presidential run, opted not to join the crowded Republican field. His appointment largely ends the possibility that presumptive nominee Mitt Romney might tap him as a running mate or, if elected, to a Cabinet post.

Daniels, 63, is expected to bring a business-minded approach and an image as an efficient manager to the job he takes over in January, after his second term as governor ends. But he’ll also find himself on the flip side of a challenging education environment that has seen state money for public institutions decline dramatically in recent years.

Daniels, wearing a black and gold tie given to him by former Purdue President Martin Jischke, said he was “troubled but persuaded by those who say higher education must modernize its methods and assert its traditional values.”

Trustees voiced enthusiastic support for Daniels as the university’s next leader.

As governor, Daniels ordered $150 million carved out of state higher education funding in December 2009 as the state’s revenues declined. Purdue’s state funding has fallen from a peak of $262 million in 2008-09 to $233.9 million for the just-completed school year.

The university also came under fire from state lawmakers over its tuition increases at the height of the recession. Purdue’s in-state tuition rates have risen by as much as 62 percent since 2004, according to figures provided by the university.

Daniels has rejected university leaders’ contention that state aid cuts have forced them to raise tuition.

Daniels has aggressively tackled education issues during his tenure, helping to establish Western Governors University, an online option for nontraditional students, and pushing the Legislature to reduce the number of credit hours it takes to achieve some degrees. He also led changes in K-12 education, including the nation’s broadest use of school vouchers.

“I hope to become an audible and credible voice for the critical role of higher education in the nation’s future, and an effective advocate of Purdue to those who might support its growth in quality and reputation,” Daniels said.

Daniels said he would spend much of the next six months asking questions and listening.

“I’ve not made a life in the academy, but I have spent my life reading and admiring and attempting to learn from those who do,” he said.

Even so, his reputation for pushing through aggressive change could get a mixed reception on the 40,000-student West Lafayette campus. During his tenure as governor, he has rankled union activists upset by Indiana’s new right-to-work law and drew fire over state efforts to privatize the state’s welfare system and cut public funding to Planned Parenthood because it performs abortions.

But analysts say he will bring to Purdue leadership skills and a national reputation from his days as a former White House budget director that will help him tackle the challenges ahead. He also will give Purdue coveted fundraising clout as the university aims to double its $200 million in annual gifts over the next decade.

Daniels has easily outpaced his Democratic opponents in his two campaigns for governor by tapping into a national network of donors who supported George W. Bush’s presidential races.

“One of the top three jobs for a university president, no matter what the circumstances, is fundraising,” said Dennis Barden, senior vice president with the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer.

“Your average politician is pretty fickle when it comes to connecting with people, engaging with them, building relationships with them, and stating a case for support. These are all the things that lead to excellent fundraising,” Barden said.

Though Purdue’s past presidents have largely been scholars or scientists — Cordova is an astrophysicist — Daniels isn’t the first politician to take over a university. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates served as president of Texas A&M University and is now chancellor of the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Former governors David Boren of Oklahoma and Richard Celeste of Ohio also have led universities.

Tom Coyne

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