Mitch Daniels is Purdue's next president Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) has been named the next president of Purdue University, virtually assuring that the popular two-term incumbent will not be Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels answers question during a news conference after being named as the next president of Purdue University by the school's trustees in West Lafayette, Ind., Thursday, June 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Purdue announced Daniels as its new president Thursday, two days after anonymous sources indicated that he would be elected to the position. Daniels and Purdue had not commented on the reports. Daniels will assume the job in January, when his term concludes and a new governor is sworn in. Between now and then, he will not be stumping for Republicans, including Romney. "Effective immediately, I will recuse myself from any partisan political activities or commentary," Daniels said. Daniels was seen as a second- or third-tier contender for Romney's vice presidential slot (The Fix recently pegged him as the 10th most likely pick), but the governor passed on his own presidential bid earlier this year and indicated that he had no interest in being Romney's running mate. Daniels follows a well-worn political path into academic administration. Former Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) left Congress in recent years to become chancellor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, former Oklahoma governor and senator David Boren (D) currently serves as president of the University of Oklahoma, and former senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), who is seeking a return to the chamber this year, spent a decade as president of the New School in New York City.