He gone
Thursday, Jun 15, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Finally…
In the wake of a state investigation that said President Doug Baker “mismanaged” Northern Illinois University, he announced at this morning’s Board of Trustees meeting that he is leaving the university.
Baker called the 56-page report from the Office of the Executive Inspector General a “distraction,” and said he’d step down June 30.
The report found that NIU officials hired at least five people as though they were part-time instructors and paid them more than $1 million combined over a roughly two-year period.
The investigation found that starting when Baker took office in June 2013, university officials, under orders from Baker, improperly classified multiple high-paying consulting positions as affiliate employees to skirt state rules requiring competitive bidding.
The Board of Trustees was given the report in August, and Baker said that after its public release at the end of May, he met with board Chairman John Butler about his future.
- Flip357 - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 1:22 pm:
That is a good start, but Baker is a product of a broken institution. The real problem is at the Vice Provost and Assistant VP level; those who are powerful enough to influence the institution for their own means, but low enough that they keep their jobs when scandal breaks.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
Baker might want to relocate to someplace without a U.S. extradition treaty. His entire tenure stinks of kickbacks, and not particularly clever ones.
Half a million bucks for an “oral report” from a consultant, at a time when the university is getting bled to death? That’s begging for a grand jury.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 1:35 pm:
I thought you were referring to DCFS Director Sheldon, who has his last day today.
Waste, fraud, and abuse does exist. But the cost is millions and the budget gap is billions.
Glad to see Baker go. Will them get someone good to replace him?
- In 630 - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 1:40 pm:
==Baker is a product of a broken institution==
That better be a aavage take on the University of Idaho, where Baker came from, because you sure aren’t describing what happened here: a university president self destructed.
- anon2 - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 1:42 pm:
=== The Board of Trustees was given the report in August ===
That would be August of last year. Sounds like the Board of Trustees saw no problem until after the report became public. Didn’t they read the report, or we they just willing to cover up the dubious deals?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:30 pm:
Finally is an understatement, yet another Board that needs to be cleansed. I’m all about higher education but I’m getting sick and tired of scandal after scandal; CSU, UIUC, IBHE, ISU, College of DuPage, NIU, etc. No wonder people don’t feel too much sympathy about the budget impasse’s effect on higher ed!
- Midway Gardens - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
Is there any level of this state’s government not corrupt? This is blatant but there’s the see my brother’s legal team for zoning, my law firm for tax appeals, that are tainted.
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
very sad to see this happen at NIU, which was doing well with that History prof who came from Tenn to be Pres. He was good.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
Another university mismanaged.
anon @ 2:30 is exactly right.
- Ron - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:53 pm:
Illinois has the worst political class in the nation. Time for a complete cleansing of our state governments. Starting with Madigan.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 2:58 pm:
Blago was supposed to be an example. He never took a dime. Big mouth and small brain put him away. Let’s indict some of these finagliers and their buddies and if guilty put them away. Ask them a few questions and I bet you will find an obstruction charge
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 3:50 pm:
Most of them make huge profits from their departure too!
- Oneman - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 3:52 pm:
NIU has had more issues with presidents…If I recall correctly one was convicted of hit and run for hitting a student who was on a bike. One had to step down over costs associated with the house the school provided and some other stuff and now this…
- yinn - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 4:00 pm:
I would really like to see an investigation into the University Village purchase and rezoning process that took place during Baker’s tenure. UV is a large apartment complex, privately owned, that went almost completely Section 8 a couple decades ago, and was up for sale when Baker came to town. According to emails obtained from responses to Freedom of Information Act requests, an outfit from the Seattle area, with demonstrable ties to Baker, came to town and immediately began asking for help from NIU in talking with HUD (financing) and City of DeKalb (zoning), and an NIU employee was re-assigned as liasion to shepherd the process. The OEIG discoveries of abuses of the affiliate hire classification might be only one way that NIU resources were improperly used to benefit friends.
- dr. reason a. goodwin - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 8:57 pm:
And he gets a half-million dollar parting gift. I hope a grand jury is looking into this.
- The Big Hurt - Thursday, Jun 15, 17 @ 8:58 pm:
Good riddance. sad to see these problems at my Alma Mater.