Community invited to outdoor festival Friday, kicking off Purdue’s weeklong ‘MitchFest’ to celebrate outgoing President Daniels

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A communitywide outdoor festival will kick off Purdue University’s “MitchFest” on Friday (Dec. 2) as the first of a series of events for publicly celebrating the school’s president, Mitch Daniels.

All faculty, staff, students and members of the community are invited to Mitch Daniels Streetfest, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The special campus ceremony, taking place at the corner of State and Grant streets, will include an appearance by members of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band and Purdue Pete. 

Also planned are giveaways, refreshments and opportunities for all to give Daniels an appropriate send-off and take selfie pictures with him on the front lawn of Purdue Memorial Union. Coffee, hot chocolate and desserts will be served, and complimentary gear commemorating the special occasion will be available.

The street festival is part of the weeklong “MitchFest,” which will give Purdue and the Greater Lafayette community a chance to recognize Daniels, who is retiring at the end of the year as president, and the impact he has made for Boilermakers everywhere. MitchFest highlights:

• “Freedom of Inquiry and the Advancement of Knowledge,” a free speech symposium, is at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. Steven Schultz, Purdue’s general counsel, will moderate a discussion with experts Glenn Loury, the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Economics at Brown University; Nadine Strossen, the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita at the New York School of Law; and Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University.
• Former President George W. Bush will share the stage with Daniels for the final Presidential Lecture Series event of Daniels’ tenure at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in Elliott Hall of Music. The free event, titled “A Conversation With George W. Bush,” is sold out.

Also planned as part of MitchFest are events for Purdue leadership and key staff; with alumni, community and state leaders; and with faculty.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer and media contact: Phillip Fiorini, pfiorini@purdue.edu, 765-430-6189