 We now have a very important announcement. It starts with telling you that the Board is here to elect the dean of our College of Engineering, Dean Meng, the next president of Purdue University. His term will begin at the conclusion of Mitch's term, which is the end of this year, December 31st. The election comes into effect for Dean Meng, January 1st. Mitch started to share with the Board several years ago thoughts about how long his term would last. And sometime last year, he indicated that he thought he would be ready to conclude his term either at the end of the 2022 year or perhaps the academic term, which would be next year, the 23 term. And then in April, following our Board meeting, he informed the Board that his decision was to retire at the end of this year. And that's when we decided to make a verbal award, or a verbal election, if you will, to Dean Meng. And today we're here to formalize it by a Board vote. We had an opportunity to observe a number of talented people in this university over the last five years. And it gave us a high level, a high degree of confidence in the selection of Meng as the follow-up to Mitch. We got to see him work, we got to see how he behaved, really a benefit to a body that's gonna elect somebody that is unusual. We got to see firsthand, almost for three to four to five years, his skillset. And it's ideally suited for where we are today. He's the Dean of the largest college on our campus. In a university that has 65% of its students STEM oriented. He's also in a sector that is in, not only in the news, but in incredible demand, which is the tech sector. He knows a lot about it. In fact, he's a business person. Has numerous patents in this field. He's connected incredibly well with the economic development side of the university, including folks in the tech sector, some of which are interested in locating facilities or offices on the West End of campus. All of this is an advantage to any president, but certainly the president of Purdue University. He will get the other benefit of doing this now. It provides both Mitch and Meng an opportunity to work together for six months in a transition period. Meng is stepping down as the Dean of the College of Engineering to allow more time to focus on getting prepared for the presidency. They'll retain his role as the executive vice president of research, they'll continue to play a part in recruiting firms to West Lafayette. And ideally, maybe some even before the end of this year. And then come January 1st, he will step into his role as Dean. You can see that one of the benefits of doing this is continuity, continuity of the progress that we've made over the last 10 years, which you have all had a front row seat to, but also so has many parts of the rest of the state, not only this nation. Purdue was now elevated into the first ranks of public universities. It's recognized in a way significantly different than it was in 2013 when Mitch derived. He's an incredible talent and has benefited us and he'll benefit Mitch, I mean Meng over the next six months. So we're excited about that. And so now, based on all of this, as you can see now, Steve's looking at me, I'd be pleased to entertain a motion that Meng Cheng be nominated for election as the 13th president of Purdue University to succeed Mitchell E. Daniels upon his resignation, becoming effective January 1st, 2023. May I have a motion and a second, please? I'll move, second. It's been moved and seconded. And Don, if you can hear this, we'll get you separately. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Don. Aye. Okay. It's unanimous, or no opposed. No opposed. It's unanimous, the motion carries. Congratulations, Dr. Moon. Chairman's asked me to say a word or two and then bring your next president up here. I just wanna make two points that I hope are obvious to you all, but just to underscore them. First about the board, then second about my successor. First of all, I don't know that I can name another institution, non-profit, for-profit or otherwise, whose leadership, that is to say, these trustees, has approached the most critical job of any such board is succession, the maintenance and hopefully the enhancement of success for the institution. And I don't know that we can cite an example of anyone who's ever, any such group who's ever approached it more thoroughly, carefully, methodically and thoughtfully than this one did. And you just got a flavor of that from Mike's report, but I just wanna testify firsthand. They studied very, very carefully, all their choices, internal, were fully prepared to look elsewhere if they did not identify someone who seemed absolutely ideal, but they did. This is a board that has its act together. And that, sad to say, cannot be said of all. They're contemporaries elsewhere in higher ed or for that matter in the business world. And then about Dr. Shang, I felt on the day that he agreed to come to Purdue. From that day forward, I've said, you know, that Bobinsky will never recruit a five-star that is gonna contribute as much to Purdue as this man's likely to, and that's proven true. His, Purdue has never, all my illustrious predecessors, you won't find one with academic credentials that match, let alone surpass monks, nor will you, I think, find anyone or imagine anyone who fits the Purdue of today, Mike, I think gave you a good description of that and its future better than Dr. Shang does. In multiple dimensions, first and most important, of course, academic leadership and to take us further and further and further upward in national reputation and renown and attractiveness to the brightest minds in the world. But it doesn't stop there. We've tried to map out other missions for this university, becoming an economic engine for, first as a service to community, but also out of self-interest to try to make this a more place of greater opportunity for our students and their futures, for our researchers, our academic stars to attract new sponsored research and frankly to make of our area a more attractive environment, an exciting environment for people to join us in. He's been, as his role was expanded very intentionally, he's been a huge contributor to that and I can't wait to see what a high tech world, how a high tech world increasingly beats its, and makes its path to the environment around Purdue. He spent a year while keeping his finger on his business here, he somehow managed to spend a year in national service at the highest national level. Again, not just validating our sense of his abilities, but I think seeing things, learning things, growing in ways and making new connections that will be very valuable to this university going forward and I could go further, but I hope you're getting the sense that I think you should have that we have here a person uniquely qualified to capitalize on the investments that we have made over the last decade, hundreds of millions of dollars in new people and facilities and connections and partnerships that to which I think his skill set is so ideally suited. And so to the board who approached their single biggest duty in the most professional way I have ever seen and to the outcome that has produced and to the man who will now I promise you take Purdue places that no one else could. I say, I pay tribute and say thanks and I give you now the next president of Purdue, Dr. Moncheng. Thank you. Thank you very much. Chairman Berghoff, President Daniels, trustees, students, colleagues and friends, it is the highest and most humbling honor to be selected by the board of trustees as the next president of Purdue University. The unique, the most remarkable land grant institution in the land of the free throughout the past 153 years and spanning from Wabash River to the moon, generations of border makers contributed to our state, to our country and to humanity in immeasurable ways. There's no other place like Purdue and there's no other university leader like ours. President Daniels and the outstanding team put Purdue into the most consequential public university in the United States. Under Mitch's transformational leadership, our university attained the strongest academic reputation from record breaking enrollment to all time high research excellence from the ever true campaign to the transformed campus. Purdue led the country in safely reopening during the pandemic and its financial foundation is fortified stronger than ever before. But there's even more. Mitch is also the most innovative president in America, affordability through tuition freeze, 21st century land grant through Purdue Global and economic growth in Indiana through entrepreneurship and discovery park district here in West Lafayette. The amazing success of the Daniels decade must continue. While my family and I are blessed with the pride of golden black, I'm also humbled by a daunting task to ensure the continuity of today's momentum into the next giant leaps. I've had the privilege to be a part of the Purdue team over the past five years and to grow the range of service as an EVP for strategic initiatives. But there's much more that I need to keep learning like a student from all of you. And I know that in the next seven months and beyond, my responsibilities start with listening to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors to state and national and global partners and to all friends and families of Purdue. New Armstrong said, knowledge is fundamental to all human achievement and progress. Indeed, a university creates a time when lives are lifted by student access and success. My own life was lifted out of scarcity because of education. A university preserves a place for all minds in pursuit of open inquiry. And I'm ever grateful for the honor to dedicate myself in service of the talents at our university. As an immigrant living the American dream and as a citizen of this greatest nation in human history, I'm also proud to serve in higher education as I did in the U.S. State Department, the best hope for freedom and opportunity in the shining city on a hill. Opportunities and challenges are intensifying for American higher education, from the modality and value of learning to what we do with R&D investment by the government and private sector. We are confident that the entire Purdue system across all campuses and all units will innovate together and excel together. One brick at a time toward boundless future in the brawler maker future. Hail our Purdue and thank you so much.