Daniels Is Chamber’s Business Leader of The Year

The chamber will honor Daniels November 13 at its 29th Annual Awards Dinner.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has named Purdue University President Mitch Daniels its 2018 Business Leader of the Year. The chamber is citing achievements including several years of frozen tuition and the growth of the Discovery Park District in announcing the honor.

Chamber President Kevin Brinegar says Daniels has helped Purdue "strike the right balance" of respecting the school’s core mission while "challenging the norms of academia." Other accomplishments the chamber is citing include the acquisition of Kaplan University and the Back a Boiler program, which is an income share agreement to help students pay for college.

The former, two-term Indiana governor signed on as Purdue’s president in December 2012. His initial contract was extended for two years in 2015, and indefinitely earlier this year. He previously earned the chamber’s Government Leader of the Year award in 2006, during his first term as governor.

The chamber will honor Daniels November 13 at its 29th Annual Awards Dinner. Other honorees include Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush as Government Leader of the Year, KAR Auction Services Chief Executive Officer Jim Hallett as Dynamic Leader of the Year and the city of Jasper as Community of the Year.