INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels declined to talk Wednesday
about whether he will be Purdue University’s next president.
A day after Indianapolis media reported Daniels will be chosen to replace
retiring university president France Cordova, the Republican governor said
he plans to complete his term in office that ends in January but would not
discuss his future. “It’s just not appropriate,” he told reporters following
an economic development announcement in Indianapolis. “It’s not a topic for
today.”
Purdue’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote Thursday on hiring a new
president. WISH-TV and The Indianapolis Star, citing anonymous sources,
reported Wednesday that Daniels would be the pick to lead the state’s
second-largest university.
Daniels’ office has declined to comment on the reports and Purdue officials
have said they won’t identify candidates for the job before the vote.
Cordova is retiring next month after five years as leader of the school that
has about 75,000 students on its West Lafayette and regional campuses.
Daniels declined last year to seek the Republican presidential nomination,
citing family considerations, but has been mentioned as a possible vice
presidential running mate to presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
The 63-year-old Daniels, who received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton
University in 1971 and a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979,
would become the first president of Purdue without extensive experience
administering higher education.
While refusing to address the Purdue job directly, Daniels said Wednesday
that he believes changes are needed to how higher education is approached.
He said more people who’ve attended college have loan debt than degrees and
that situation can’t be sustained.
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