Mitch Daniels (Photo provided, Purdue University)
In West Lafayette, the Purdue Board of Trustees says it has approved the appointment of Mitch Daniels to serve as interim president of Purdue, effective July 1, 2026. Daniels served a decade as Purdue’s president from 2013 to 2022. He succeeds Mung Chiang, who will become president of Evanston, Illinois-based Northwestern University on July 1, 2026. Purdue said Daniels has agreed to serve as interim until the next president takes office, and a national search will be launched in the coming weeks.
“We are extremely grateful to President Emeritus Daniels for his willingness to continue his long and successful service to Purdue University in a role with which he is very familiar,” trustees Chair Gary Lehman said. “We look forward to working with Mitch and the executive team in leading Purdue to even greater heights as it continues to impact lives through its land-grant mission and the persistent pursuit of excellence in higher education.”
“President Chiang has led Purdue forward in a host of important ways, and it’s essential that the momentum he has generated be maintained,” said Daniels. “If the board believes that recalling me to active duty temporarily can help in this respect, no one as devoted to this institution as I am could say anything but yes.”
