Story perspectives

Northwestern Names Purdue’s Mung Chiang President, AI Funding Boost

5/19/2026

Summary

Chiang Named President

Northwestern University will install Purdue president Mung Chiang as its 18th president on July 1, 2026, after Michael Schill resigned in September 2025.
Chiang becomes Northwestern’s first Asian-American immigrant president and brings $1 billion in research, $3.9 billion for an AI chip facility, and helped draft 2022 CHIPS Act.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said the search breached its standards, with a November 2025 deal to release $75 million to end the $790 million funding freeze.

Summary

Board Starts Search

Purdue's Board of Trustees will appoint an interim president weeks away and start a permanent-president search.
Purdue First Lady Dr. YingKei Hui will serve as an internal-medicine physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Athletics Director Mike Bobinski could see his future shaped by the new president and board.
Board Chair Gary Lehman will steer the search, noting former board chair Mike Berghoff left 18 months ago and speculation about local Purdue-linked candidates persists.

History

Historical Context

In 1990 Chang-Lin Tien became chancellor of UC Berkeley, the first person of Asian descent to lead a major U.S. research university. His advocacy for affirmative-action and the “Berkeley Pledge” after the 1995 ban on racial preferences set a visible precedent for inclusive hiring. That precedent continues to shape university leadership searches today.

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Chiang Named President

Northwestern University will install Purdue president Mung Chiang as its 18th president on July 1, 2026, after Michael Schill resigned in September 2025.
Chiang becomes Northwestern’s first Asian-American immigrant president and brings $1 billion in research, $3.9 billion for an AI chip facility, and helped draft 2022 CHIPS Act.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said the search breached its standards, with a November 2025 deal to release $75 million to end the $790 million funding freeze.

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