Daniels named one of world's 50 great leaders

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels was an unlikely candidate when named Thursday to Fortune Magazine's 2015 list of the world's 50 greatest leaders.

The former Indiana governor was named No. 41 on the list, joining tech tycoons Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg, pop culture stars Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon, and even Pope Francis.

"The former White House budget director and Indiana governor is demonstrating that his green-eyeshade approach works just as well in academia," Fortune states in its profile of Daniels. "As president of Purdue University, he's frozen tuition, cut costs by zeroing out administrative waste, and negotiated a deal with Amazon to save students up to 30 percent on textbooks. No wonder Republican Pooh-Bahs are eager to lure him back to public life. For now, though, he has forsworn a return to politics."

Daniels is one of the few political figures on the list, which excludes any current members of congress, senators or governors. Chief Justice John Roberts made No. 8 and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is No. 20.

One other university president — Patrick Awuah from a college in Ghana — was recognized.

But the biggest contrast might be height: Standing at 5 foot 7 inches, Daniels pales in comparison to such candidates as NBA stars LeBron James, No. 31, and Yao Ming, No. 26.

To compile the list, the magazine gathered advice from more than two dozen of the "world's greatest minds," according to Fortune.