Mixed reaction to news of Daniels as next Purdue president

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - News that Governor Mitch Daniels is the expected replacement to Purdue President France Cordova drew a divided reaction on campus.

"I think he's led Indiana pretty well," said senior Biology student Rachel Weller.

But junior Computer Engineering student Jose Jurado wonders, "If he comes to Purdue, what will he do to the budget?"

There was plenty of questions and few answers on Purdue's campus Tuesday.  But there was no shortage of things people would like to see if Daniels becomes the university's next president.

"It would be very interesting to see what he thinks about the number of administrators at the University," Statistics Professor Tom Kuczek said. "He was somewhat critical in the past."

"One thing that we really hope to see from our next president is someone who really wants to hang out with students, get to know us, and get to know what we're interested in and what we like," Weller said.  "So I hope he has that on his agenda."

But with some of Daniels' polarizing policies in office, others think he's an interesting choice.

"I'm not sure if I'm so happy with the schools and high schools and the funding for that," Mickey Swartz, a parent of a Purdue freshman, said.

"He's made budget cuts and hasn't really supported education," added Jurado.

Some on Facebook and wlfi.com were even more critical, including Jeremy Martin who wrote, "And I thought they could do no worse than France Cordova, I was mistaken...."

But others disagree, including Lauren Stamper, a junior Elementary Education major.

"I actually think that he has some really good ideas when he comes to education," Stamper.  "And that some people bombard him a little bit too much with his ideas."
    
Daniels has a background in the budget, not education.  But most don't seem to think that's all bad.

"He's got a good business background, so that might help him," Swartz said.

"I would say I think it would be pretty awesome to have the governor be our president," Stamper said.

"He would certainly have no problems, shall we say, conversing with the legislature," Kuczek said.

"I'm kind of excited to have an Indiana native lead our University," Weller said.

The Board of Trustees will be voting Thursday morning.  NewsChannel 18 will be there.  We'll have a live broadcast of the announcement both on-air and at wlfi.com.