Pence to be sworn in as governor

Gov.-elect Mike Pence will be officially inaugurated into office 11 a.m. today in Indianapolis.

Pence will succeed Gov. Mitch Daniels, who will assume office as Purdue’s 12th president Jan. 15.

This past weekend, Pence began the Inauguration festivities with a Family Fun Day Saturday afternoon at the Dallara IndyCar Factory in Speedway, Ind., and a celebration took place at the Inaugural Ball Saturday night in downtown Indianapolis. On Sunday, Pence headed an Inaugural Praise and Worship Service at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Pence, a former U.S. representative, R-6th District, defeated gubernatorial candidates John Gregg, Democrat, and Rupert Boneham, Libertarian, in the fall race. Pence won against Gregg by a 3.3-percent margin in final voting results, according to the New York Times.

Pence campaigned with his platform “Road Map for Indiana” that promised to “make Indiana the state that works.” Pence said he hopes to increase private-sector employment, improve the math and reading skills of elementary school students and better the health and safety of Hoosiers throughout the state.

According to Pence’s website, the governor-elect said he also hopes to boost university enrollment number and reward Hoosier students for graduating on time or early by taking a portion of money set aside for grants to encourage students to graduate. He also suggested requiring colleges to commit to on-time degree pathways for students earning associate’s or bachelor’s degrees.

With the plan’s implementation, universities would reportedly bear the costs of any credits in excess of 60 credits or two years for associate’s degrees or 120 credits or four years for bachelor’s degrees. Assuming the student remained on track and had an acceptable GPA, the university would pay for these credits.

— Bridget Ameche