EDUCATION
In November, our Division of Financial Aid unveiled the Boilermaker Affordability Grant (BAG). It provides a guarantee to every Hoosier family with up to $70,000 in adjusted gross income that Purdue will close whatever gap remains after the Expected Family Contribution (a standard calculation under the federal loan system) and any grants or scholarships the student has received. It’s our hope that this new assurance, easily understood and known well in advance of an enrollment decision, will bring to Purdue a number of qualified Indiana students who might otherwise have hesitated to join us. Obviously, the time will come when some upward adjustment of student charges will be necessary. But our philosophy will remain: As long as we are balancing our operating budget, growing our faculty, investing in necessary capital projects, increasing staff compensation competitively, all without tapping our cash reserves, why would we raise tuition? 2017 brought many reasons for pride in your university. Again, we saw new records for Prior to his election as Indiana’s 49th governor, Mitch Daniels held a variety of top-level positions in business and politics. He worked as a senior executive at Eli Lilly and was CEO of the Hudson Institute. And he served as an adviser to President Ronald Reagan, director of the Office of Management and Budget for President George W. Bush, and chief of staff for Indiana Senator Richard Lugar.
research, applications, patents, donations, and more. Again, the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranked Purdue in the nation’s public top 5, with Michigan, UCLA, North Carolina, and Cal Berkeley. As far as I’m concerned, those schools should be thrilled to be listed with us. But Boilermakers believe in continuous improvement, always reaching a “brick higher.” As our 150th birthday approaches, what better way to celebrate than with another year of even greater achievements, and a growth of Purdue’s service to state and nation by bringing quality education to additional thousands of our fellow citizens. Boiler Up!
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. President of Purdue University
He is also author of two books, Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans and Notes from the Road: 16 Months of Towns, Tales and Tenderloins, about his trip around Indiana during the race for governor. You can read his complete, unedited open letter to Purdue here.
American Consequences 33
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