Northwestern University has named Mung Chiang, the current head of Purdue University, as its next leader.
Chiang, a first-generation immigrant from China, will be Northwestern’s first Asian American president.
Northwestern has been without a permanent leader since September, when former president Michael Schill resigned in the wake of a grilling before Congress over his handling of antisemitism, student protests and layoffs at the university.
Interim president Henry Bienen will continue to lead Northwestern until Chiang takes over on July 1.
Northwestern officials said Monday that Chiang was chosen after an international search and stood out due to his research experience and reputation for supporting students and faculty and helping to prepare universities for the future.
“I have long admired Northwestern for its dedication to interdisciplinary scholarship, artistic creation and impactful research, its tremendous healthcare system, and its palpable school spirit,” Chiang said in a statement.
Northwestern officials noted in their announcement that Chiang has “consistently prioritized free speech and free expression” in his leadership.
The issue is top of mind as some students and faculty continue to worry that Northwestern’s decision last year to sign a deal with the Trump administration to restore nearly $800 million in research grants and end several federal probes would limit free speech on campus.
In a letter to the Northwestern community, Chiang acknowledged it was a challenging time for higher education and that “many of us have been anxious about the uncertainties and distressed by the turbulence.” He said he hoped to continue on a path toward stabilization.
“My first priority is to listen to and learn about Northwestern’s distinct culture and this community of scholarly and creative minds, because what matters most is the ‘who’ before the ‘what,’” Chiang said in the letter.
Chiang has led Purdue for the last three years. Before that, he served as an executive vice president at Purdue and the dean of the engineering college.
He also spent 14 years as an engineering professor at Princeton University and has served as a science and technology advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State. He holds over two dozen U.S. patents and has won numerous awards for his engineering work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship.