Mitch Daniels welcomes record Purdue enrollment on his last first day

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — President Mitch Daniels welcomed his last batch of students as Purdue University started the Fall 2022 semester Monday.

In June, Daniels announced he'd be stepping aside as president of the university, a post he's held since 2013. Engineering dean Mung Chiang will become the next Purdue president Jan. 1, 2023, the university announced on June 10.

"Welcome to the new academic year," Daniels stated in a letter on the first day of classes, "with a special welcome to all of our new undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff. We will be setting another enrollment record for our campus this fall with more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students and we will be joined by 213 new faculty, also the largest number in our history.

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"Whether we are welcoming you for the first time or welcoming you back, we are thrilled to have you here as we prepare for another exciting year at Purdue."

Daniels also reminded students that COVID-19 "has not gone away," and linked to the latest Protect Purdue guidelines for virus prevention.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Mitch Daniels welcomes record Purdue enrollment on his last first day