Engineering dean succeeds Purdue President Daniels on Jan. 1

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Engineering Dean Mung Chiang will succeed Mitch Daniels as Purdue University's president on Jan. 1, the school's Board of Trustees announced Friday.

Chiang, who's also Purdue's executive vice president for strategic initiatives, received praise for growing the College of Engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and setting new school records for both government and industry-sponsored research funding.

Chiang also has played a central role in establishing new relationships with federal agencies in national security and economic development and recruiting companies to invest and create jobs in Purdue's Discovery Park District.

Chiang earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and mathematics and master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. He came to Purdue from Princeton University, where he was the first chairman of Princeton's Entrepreneurial Council. He holds 25 patents.

Board of Trustees Chairman Michael Berghoff said Chiang 'œhas displayed not only academic excellence but also administrative acumen, effective relationship-building with academic, governmental, and business partners, and the skills of public communications.'ť

Daniels has served as Purdue's president since January 2013, after completing two terms as Indiana's governor. He notably has frozen Purdue's tuition for 11 years through 2022-23 and created three Purdue Polytechnic High Schools in Indianapolis and South Bend.