Daniels promotes Purdue at APLU annual meeting in Washington
November 14, 2013
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President Mitch Daniels earlier this week spoke before more than a thousand higher education leaders at the opening session of the 126th Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting. (Photo provided) |
President Mitch Daniels earlier this week was a featured speaker at the opening session of the 126th Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting. Daniels touted Purdue, speaking before more than a thousand higher education leaders from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the four U.S. territories, who had gathered for what the organization billed as the largest APLU annual meeting in history.
In its introductory session, called "Transforming Higher Education," Daniels said, "Our success can only be measured through the success of our students. What matters is not the quality coming in the door, but the quality at graduation."
He used Purdue Moves as an example of the important role land-grant universities play in the national economy, highlighting the expansion of the College of Engineering and programs in computer science and the transformative education occurring in the College of Technology, and the University's impending major investments in selected areas of research. Daniels restated Purdue's ongoing commitment to affordability, particularly for those first-generation and low-income students for whom land-grant institutions were first created, terming that mission "the noblest of endeavors."
In discussing this unique role that such institutions of higher education play in addressing public needs, Daniels sees Purdue's first priority as producing "more and more well-educated, particularly technically educated, citizens who can succeed in an information economy and understand the context of doing so in a free society."
Attending his first APLU annual gathering since becoming Purdue's 12th president, Daniels was asked to meet with key editors and reporters at Inside Higher Education. He provided a broad overview of the challenges Purdue and other universities currently face while using the opportunity to highlight Purdue successes and strategies to remain a top-tier institution.
He also joined a distinguished panel to speak with more than 200 presidents, provosts and other university leaders at an event sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education titled "The Land-Grant University, Reinvented?"
APLU says this annual event is considered the premier event for public university leaders, bringing together presidents, chancellors, provosts, deans and senior leaders for research, governmental affairs, student affairs, public affairs and finance. According to APLU, its membership includes state universities, land-grant universities, state-university systems and related organizations. Founded in 1887, APLU is the nation's oldest higher education association. Annually, member campuses enroll more than 3.8 million undergraduates and 1.2 million graduate students, award more than 1 million degrees, employ nearly 1 million faculty and staff, and conduct more than $37 billion in university-based research.
