WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana – A community-wide outdoor festival will kick off Purdue University’s MitchFest on Friday (December 2) as the first in a series of events to publicly celebrate the school’s president, Mitch Daniels.
All faculty, staff, students and members of the community are invited to the Mitch Daniels Streetfest, which begins Friday at 1:30 p.m. The special campus ceremony, held at the corner of State and Grant Streets, will include a performance by members of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band and Purdue Pete.
Also planned are giveaways, refreshments and opportunities for everyone to give Daniels a proper farewell and take selfie photos with him on the front yard of Purdue Memorial Union. Coffee, hot chocolate, and desserts will be served, and complimentary gear to commemorate the special occasion is available.
The street festival is part of the week-long MitchFest, which is a chance for Purdue and the community of Greater Lafayette to recognize Daniels, who is retiring as president at the end of the year, and the impact he’s had on boilermakers everywhere. MitchFest Highlights:
- Freedom of Inquiry and the Advancement of Knowledge, a symposium on free speech, will be held on Monday, December 5 at 6:00 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. Steven Schultz, Purdue’s general counsel, will lead a discussion with experts Glenn Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Economics at Brown University; Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor Emeritus of Law at the New York School of Law; and Keith Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University.
- Former President George W. Bush will share the stage with Daniels for the final session of Daniels’ Presidential Lecture Series on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:00 pm in the Elliott Hall of Music. The free event, titled “A Conversation with George W. Bush,” is sold out.
Also planned as part of MitchFest are events for Purdue executives and key employees; with alumni, community and state leaders; and with faculty.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a leading public research organization developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. For each of the last five years, Purdue has been ranked by US News & World Report as one of the 10 Most Innovative Universities in the United States, delivering world-changing research and extraordinary discoveries. Purdue is committed to real-world, hands-on and online learning, providing transformative education for all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, allowing more students than ever to graduate debt-free. Watch how Purdue never stops making the next big leap at https://purdue.edu/.
Author and media contact: Phillip Fiorini, [email protected], 765-430-6189
