Posted on 03/17/2022 2:58:26 PM PDT by karpov
While American higher education often is rightly condemned for being inefficient, non-innovative, and resistant to change, there are exceptions, and there are some collegiate entrepreneurs whose success is worthy of commendation and emulation. To me, the top award for American higher education innovation must go to Mitch Daniels, who is just beginning his tenth year as the president of Purdue University.
I had a nice chat with President Daniels the other day. At the beginning, I reminded him how we first met: I visited him in his office as Governor of Indiana in late 2012, shortly before beginning his tenure as Purdue’s president.
Daniels wanted to talk about the compensation package for Purdue’s president, and rather than wanting me to provide clever arguments why his salary should far exceed that of his predecessor, he said he was willing and even eager to take a reduction in the presidential salary–as long as he could earn performance bonuses for doing a good job running the Boilermakers. I said to my sidekick with me at the interview (Anthony Hennen, formerly with the James Martin Center), “he will be an unusual college president.” For once, an economist (me) forecasted correctly!
The measurement of academic outcomes is seldom straightforward, so Daniels and I talked about the problems with using such indicators as attrition (dropout) rates (a statistics that can be superficially improved simply by lowering academic standards), magazine rankings, financial reserves, enrollments (which likewise can be temporarily increased by lowering standards, likely harmful in the long run), outside research grants received, student outcomes on standardized tests, etc.
Daniels is not only competent but kind and considerate: I once ate breakfast with Mitch at the tony Four Seasons Hotel in Washington when he suddenly got up and started helping understaffed employees bus tables!
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
The best POTUS we never had. Unfortunately George Will agrees.
Mitch Daniels recently wrote a book on why he decided NOT to run for the White House—a rather unique subject for memoirists.
If they don’t allow conservatives to speak there, then nothing has been reformed.
(and no, I don’t know what the situation is there)
No tuition increases at Purdue in 11 years. Best value in the B1G by far. PSU is the worst value by far.
Mitch is a Nanny Stater. Hated him as governor.
He is fiscally responsible, but insists on checking diapers.
Great for a University. Not so great in the real world when you are getting your undies checked at his whim.
ps. I nicknamed him “Mitch, the Nanny State ßitch”... and the German ß was intended to indicate his Third Reich like control tactics.
“Here you go sport. Doin’ your research for you:”
Thanks, certainly better than being near the bottom. I’d like to see them tested by having Trump or Justice Thomas try to speak...and I only say that because of how bad things are overall...so even being that ‘free’ may all be relative.
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