WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Purdue President Mung Chiang’s gentle smile held almost a decade of memories at Purdue during his final speech at Friday’s trustees meeting.
Straining to hold on, that smile fell away as the 13th president of Purdue concluded.
“When you graduate from Purdue, you don’t leave the university. You carry that golden plaque with you. Ever grateful,” Chiang said, choking through the final words.
Chiang concluded his 50th and final board meeting with many trustees offering their support after approving other business, such as freezing tuition again for the 14th consecutive year.
Gary Lehman, chair of the board, led the praise of the Purdue president by acknowledging his movement to Northwestern University on July 1.
“We feel it was real short, but there’s a lot of opportunities and people do move, “Lehman said of his presidency. “We’re just blessed to have three and a half years.”
Even when he’s donning Northwestern’s vibrant purple, Chiang’s accomplishments remain painted in Old Gold and Black. Purdue will continue to benefit from the fruits of Chiang’s leadership, Lehman told the trustees.
While Chiang prepares for his departure, Purdue temporarily welcomes back a familiar face to the president’s seat.
Mitchell Daniels will take his position as interim president on July 1 while the university searches for its newest permanent president. Little was said about Daniels’ return to Purdue in Friday morning’s trustee meeting.
Lehman did confirm the university asked Daniels to return to the position, and he accepted the role with little persuasion.
“(Daniels) is so committed to this university and wants to see things continue to move forward,” the chairman said.
“We had dinner with him last night,” Lehman said. “The board went over some issues he thought (were) important.”
After today’s meeting, neither Lehman nor Purdue spokesperson Trevor Peters would comment on what these issues were.
While the university is preparing itself for another presidency under Daniels, the search for a new president has begun.
“We had an executive session meeting yesterday and we had a lot of discussion on exactly how we want to proceed,” Lehman said. “We’ve already had a lot of nominations and people (coming) forward.
“Most likely, the person that we end up choosing … is not going to be sitting there looking for a job,” the chairman said. “They’re going to be ones that are very comfortable where they’re at, very well established and never thought about leaving … to come to Purdue.”
The board will provide more information about the search as it continues to develop, Lehman said.
Purdue Global change
Michael Berghoff has stepped down as the chairman of the Purdue Global Board of Trustees after more than a decade in the role, Purdue attorney Steven Schultz said. Michael Klipsch will replace Berghoff until “the next annual meeting or until his successor is newly elected and qualified.”
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue trustees OK 14th year of frozen tuition, say goodbye to Chiang
Reporting by Quint Holguin, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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By Quint Holguin, Lafayette Journal & Courier | USA TODAY Network
