Frequently Asked Questions

No. This vote is a structured way for the Board of Trustees to gather community input, not an election of the university president. Under the Trustees' bylaws, the president of Purdue University is elected by the board and requires the affirmative vote of at least six of its ten members. The board will review overall participation and patterns across aggregate groups alongside final interviews, reference and background reviews, and other information. There is no predetermined formula or weighting that determines how the vote will be considered, and the board retains sole authority to appoint the president.

Voting is open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni from Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue University in Indianapolis, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest, Purdue Polytechnic Statewide, and Purdue Extension, as well as Purdue Global faculty and staff. Purdue Global students, Purdue Polytechnic High School students, families, and employees, and other stakeholder groups are not included in this community vote and will have separate opportunities to participate later.

The initial screening was conducted by the Board-appointed Presidential Search Committee, with assistance from an executive-search firm and university counsel. Finalists were evaluated on executive leadership, academic credibility, financial and fundraising experience, commitment to Purdue's land-grant mission, and ability to earn the confidence of the university community.

Each finalist completed reference interviews, employment and degree verification, criminal and civil background checks, conflict-of-interest and financial reviews, and an examination of litigation, media coverage, and public statements. Selection as a finalist means the committee determined that the individual warranted further consideration. It does not indicate a preference by the Board of Trustees or a decision to appoint that individual.

The committee selected the finalists and administers this community vote. The Board of Trustees conducts final interviews, will consider the vote results, and retains sole authority to appoint the president.

Yes. Each finalist agreed to be publicly identified, to have candidate-approved profile materials published, and to be included in the community vote. The titles shown reflect the finalists' current positions when the profiles were published. Being named a finalist does not mean an individual has left their current position or accepted employment at Purdue.

You may submit a no-preference ballot. It will be counted separately from ballots cast for a finalist.

You will provide your first and last name, PUID, Purdue affiliation or affiliations, and a current photo of yourself.

No. The ballot is limited to the six finalists selected through the presidential search process. If you do not support any of them, you may select no preference.

The board has not decided what vote information, if any, will be published. The full board will receive the results for review before making its final decision.

Your name and PUID confirm your eligibility. Your current photo is compared with the Purdue ID photo on file, and your PUID is checked to prevent duplicate voting.

Any ballots already cast for that finalist will be counted as no preference. Because voter verification records are kept separate from ballot selections, Purdue cannot identify the affected voters or allow only those voters to cast a replacement ballot without linking them to their original selections.

No. Verification records will show that you voted, but not your selection. Your selection and affiliations will be stored separately, without your name, PUID or photo.

All voter data will be retained for 120 days and then deleted. This retention period is intended to cover the Board of Trustees' review and announcement of its decision.

Voting closes November 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The results will be shared with the Board of Trustees before its expected decision in December.

The ballot captures one still image and compares it with the Purdue ID photo on file. It does not record video or perform a liveness check. You may upload a current JPG, PNG or WebP image instead.

Affiliation allows the board to review aggregate patterns among students, faculty, staff and alumni. If more than one affiliation applies to you, select all that apply. Your affiliations are stored with your ballot, not your identity.

For technical help with the ballot, contact the Purdue IT Service Desk at it@purdue.edu or 765-494-4000. For accessibility concerns, contact Purdue's Accessibility Resources office.

Making the finalist process public is part of Purdue's commitment to an open and transparent search. It gives the Purdue community a chance to review candidate-approved information about the finalists and provide input before the trustees make their decision.

Yes. This is Purdue's first community-wide vote in a presidential search.