Ex-Purdue dean drops $1M gift over Daniels

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A former Purdue University dean says she's dropping a $1 million gift to the school from her will over its pick of Gov. Mitch Daniels to become university president.

Former College of Education dean Marilyn Haring tells the Journal & Courier ( http://on.jconline.com/N9Fzq7 ) that she is troubled by Daniels' lack of academic background and his policy decisions on education funding and labor issues. Haring wrote to Purdue's Board of Trustees that hiring governor was "a travesty and insult to academics."

Purdue trustees chairman Keith Krach says donating money is a personal decision and that the board has received a 10-to-1 positive reaction to last week's vote to Daniels.

Haring spent 16 years at Purdue as a professor and dean, leading the College of Education from 1991 to 2001.