Jay B. Silveria, president of the University of Arkansas system, was named Purdue University's president Thursday.

He will take over for interim president Mitch Daniels on Feb. 1 next year.

Silveria is a retired Air Force lieutenant general. He has been president of Arkansas's system since January 2025.

"I am honored to become the next president of Purdue University, one of the top public research universities in the country," Silveria said. "While I am familiar with Purdue’s worldwide reputation for affordability and accessibility, ingenuity and integrity, I look forward to meeting the people who make this place so special and to listen and learn about its culture."

Gary Lehman, chair of Purdue's board of trustees, said Silveria's career has shown his ability to "accomplish consequential messions."

"His strength is in the combination of his experiences, rather than any single position," Lehman said. "This combination brings us a leader who has operated in environments that require disciplined execution, developed future leaders, built an educational enterprise in an urban setting and taken responsibility for a broad public higher-education mission. The board is excited to welcome Jay as Purdue’s next president, and we look forward to working with him to advance our mission.”