WEST LAFAYETTE — “Impatience Is a Virtue: A Life Where the Buck Stops,” by Purdue interim President Mitch Daniels, is out today (Sept. 15), sharing lessons from a career spanning the pharmaceutical and healthcare field, federal and state government, Purdue University, and more.
In his fifth book, Daniels reflects on his service in the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, including his own role following the 9/11 attacks, as well as his time as Indiana governor, an Eli Lilly and Company executive, and Purdue president.
He also shares his perspectives on the politicization of American life, the importance of working across political divides, the demands of seeking the United States presidency and accountability in higher education.
“When my service at Purdue ended, I was unconvinced the world really needed a book of mine,” Daniels said. “But after much encouragement, conflicting advice and months of procrastination, I launched myself on the task of recounting much of what, and whom, I encountered on an unplanned path that lurched, abruptly and unexpectedly, from sector to sector, new life to new life.”
After his two terms as governor, Daniels became Purdue’s 12th president, serving from 2013-22. This era has been fondly deemed the “Daniels Decade,” during which Purdue became the nation’s most recognized public university as Daniels prioritized student affordability, ending 36 years of consecutive tuition increases. He also placed an emphasis on free speech and intellectual diversity and was devoted to hosting in-person teaching while many other universities opted for lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other noteworthy achievements from his presidency include the launch of the Purdue Moves and Purdue’s Next Moves initiatives; the acquisition of Purdue Global, Purdue’s online university for working adults; the creation of Purdue Polytechnic High Schools; the conception and expansion of Discovery Park District at Purdue; a yearlong celebration of Purdue’s 150th anniversary in 2019; the establishment of Degree in 3 programs; the transformation of the State Street corridor in West Lafayette; the creation of the Presidential Lecture Series; and the expansion of Purdue’s footprint to Indianapolis.
Daniels returned to the university July 1 after being appointed as Purdue’s interim president.
About the book
“Impatience Is a Virtue: A Life Where the Buck Stops” is a reflection of Daniels’ journey to becoming one of the nation’s most influential leaders and the transformative change he brought to America’s public, private and nonprofit sectors. It offers an inside look at his past, his firsthand account of the last 50 years of business, political and higher education volatility, and how he manages leading in an era of distrust and cynicism. The book can be purchased here.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 111,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.
