Mitch Daniels on Campus Free Speech and Leadership at Purdue

Mitch Daniels is the former governor of Indiana, leading the Hoosier state from 2005 to 2013. He also served as the president of Purdue University from 2013 to 2022. Mitch has served in the public sector across a number of roles including as director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush, chief of staff to Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, and senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan. He also served as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, president of the Hudson Institute and senior vice president for corporate strategy and policy at the Eli Lilly and Company. Mitch is a former member of the TFAS Board of Trustees, where he now serves as trustee emeritus. He earned his from bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his law degree from Georgetown University.

In this week’s Liberty + Leadership Podcast, Roger and Mitch take a deep dive into the issues addressed and the lessons learned during his landmark 12 years as president of Purdue University. Mitch talks about how Purdue was able to increase enrollment by 30 percent while tuition remained flat, how student loan forgiveness will end up being disastrous, how the adoption of the Chicago Principles allowed Purdue promote free speech on campus, the balance of educating Purdue students in both STEM and citizenship, how students should remain flexible – as they’ll never know what opportunities life may present. He also reminds listeners that both the first and last man to walk on the moon were Purdue graduates and that 30 percent of all astronauts are Boilermakers.