NIU president to step down after report shows mismanagement
(Don Burkett/Flickr)
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) -- The president of Northern Illinois University is stepping down in the wake of a state investigation accusing him and other administrators of mismanagement when it comes to hiring consultants.
The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports Doug Baker leaves June 30.
He announced the news at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting. He says the report by the Illinois Office of the Inspector General is "distracting."
The report says the university hired five consultants in 2013 and 2014, employed them under the wrong classification and kept them on staff too long. More than $1 million in taxpayer funds were spent, which is over allowed limits.
The report alleges that since Baker took office in 2013, the university repeatedly misclassified high-level, highly paid consultants and Baker is responsible for "mismanaging NIU's resources."