 Mitchell Elias " Mitch " Daniels , Jr . ( born April 7 , 1949 ) is an academic administrator and former politician who was Governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013 . He is a member of the Republican Party . Since 2013 , Daniels has been president of Purdue University . Born in Monongahela , Pennsylvania , Daniels is a graduate of Princeton University and Georgette University . After serving in the United States Congress from 1980 to 2013 , Daniels was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1996 , and was later elected to the Indiana Senate . In 1997 ,