Northwestern’s Board of Trustees announced Mung Chiang as the University’s 18th president Monday.
The current Purdue president succeeds former NU President Michael Schill, who stepped down from the post in September. Interim President Henry Bienen will retain the position until late June. Chiang assumes the presidency on July 1.
Hours after the Board’s announcement, The Daily sat down with Chiang over a slice of pepperoni pizza in Allison Dining Commons to discuss his engineering background, research funding and goals for the start of his tenure.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
The Daily: What drew you to Northwestern?
Chiang: NU has this superb undergrad liberal arts education, and then every comprehensive imaginable research, graduate and professional studies. And the arts. It’s amazing: journalism, communications, marketing — amazing. Then you’ve got Big Ten sports. I know that — somewhat painfully, occasionally. You’ve got the medical school and the hospital system in NU Medicine innovating ways to save lives. I mean, what other university has that kind of combination? It’s a truly amazing place.
The Daily: You have an engineering background. I don’t know if you’ve spoken to incoming Provost Erik Luijten yet, but he also has an engineering background.
Chiang: I haven’t had the pleasure to meet him. In fact, I think after this pizza, my next meeting is with the provost designee and other members of the team.
The Daily: What do you think these backgrounds might signify for the direction of NU?
Chiang: I have to confess that I’m no longer a real engineer. I don’t think the (Presidential) Search Committee and the Board (of Trustees) was really looking at me being an engineer because I used to be a real engineer. Now, for the past many years, I’ve been focusing on watching basketball games. I think it’s much more about the character of the individuals and the ability to serve other people. So, true, my original degree is from engineering, but that was a long time ago. So my job is not to serve one discipline, but comprehensively all disciplines and every member of the Wildcats family.
The Daily: Speaking of the Search Committee, when were you first approached for this role and what has the timeline been like?
Chiang: I’m not sure if I remember the exact dates off the top of my head, but I’ve had a lot of exciting conversations over the past month, and I enjoyed meeting every member of the search committee because it’s very broad. You’ve got trustees, faculty, staff, alum, students — I think (first-year Pritzker student) Jackson (Gordwin (SESP ’25)) was the student representative — so you get to meet 20-plus Wildcat family members and learn about the unique tradition and culture of this particular university because no two universities are the same.
That’s why I call myself an incoming freshman. This is my orientation, and I want to march along with my fellow freshmen come September — march under The Arch — and I’ve got a lot I need to learn. You can, after I have a chance to learn more, give me a quiz. But don’t give me a final exam before I start the quarter.
The Daily: NU has had some interactions with the federal government in the past couple of years. You yourself have worked in some capacity with the federal government. How are you planning to engage with the federal government, especially to secure research funding?
Chiang: This is actually one of the many topics (where) I need to actually get the learning going. I promise you that I’ll be very eager to talk to you or your colleagues after I have actually learned a bit more about this and many other topics.
The Daily: You are the first Asian American president of NU. What do you make of that?
Chiang: Very honored. We all want the Wildcats family to welcome everyone, and I’m proud to be part of a culture that welcomes everyone and supports everyone.
The Daily: You’ve done a lot of work with artificial intelligence. What role do you see AI playing in NU’s future, whether it’s academically or otherwise?
Chiang: Look, I think we should talk more about the C’s, not just the A and I. By C, I mean curiosity, compassion, critical thinking and creative expressions. I like C, not because of my last name, but these are what remain uniquely human. Therefore, we have even more reasons today to make sure that human beings have souls that machines do not have.
The Daily: What are your goals for the first year of your upcoming presidency?
Chiang: Learning. I mean it. … As a freshman, today I start my orientation with ice cream here in Allison Dining (Commons), but throughout the many weeks and months, starting July 1, I’ll be learning a lot about the unique tradition, people and culture of this place. I think one’s got to listen to and learn from the people who have already been here first before forming any opinion. And learning starts with some humility. I don’t know enough about this place, but I know that the color purple is truly creative, collaborative — whimsical even — and it’s going to be an amazing, amazing color.
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