Indiana Governor Daniels named Purdue president INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Indiana's Republican Governor, Mitch Daniels, once considered a potential candidate for U.S. president, will become the next president of Purdue University after a vote by the school's board of trustees on Thursday. Daniels will become the 12th president in Purdue's 143-year history in January at the end of his second term as governor, his spokeswoman, Jane Jankowski, said. His salary as governor is $107,000 Purdue trustee and search committee chairman Michael Berghoff said Daniels was recruited for the job and was interviewed three times, earning the unanimous support of the search committee. As governor, Daniels championed measures to rein in labor unions and has been an influential conservative on budget issues. He earned the nickname, "the Blade," during his time as budget director in the administration of former President George W. Bush. He is expected to bring some of those cost-cutting practices to his new job, and trustee John Hardin, Jr. urged Daniels to help make higher education more affordable. "Some things, in terms of the cost to our students, are simply not sustainable, so having a creative and dynamic leader is important," Hardin said before casting his vote for Daniels. First elected governor in 2004 and re-elected in 2008, Daniels is barred by law to run for that office again. He will succeed Purdue president France Cordova, who is retiring. A motorcycle buff, Daniels was presented with a motorcycle jacket by the university. Reporting by Susan Guyett; Editing by Andrew Stern and Jackie Frank