University of Idaho Provost Doug Baker will become the next president of Northern Illinois University, following a unanimous vote of the NIU Board of Trustees Tuesday.
University of Idaho Provost Doug Baker has been selected for the presidency at Northern Illinois University.
Baker and wife Dana Stover — assistant dean in the UI College of Business and Economics — will make the move to DeKalb, Ill. where he said they are excited to become a part of the NIU community.
“Dana and I relate strongly to the goal you chose to become the most student centered institution in the mid-west,” Baker said at an NIU press conference.
Baker has been the provost and executive vice president at UI since 2005 and was the vice provost for academic affairs at Washington State University from 1998 to 2005. He will begin his presidency at NIU July 1.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Baker said. “NIU is big enough to matter, but small enough to care about its students.”
Baker was recently named as a finalist for the presidencies at the University of New Mexico and the University of Wyoming but was not selected for either position.
Baker said he will focus on making NIU less reliant on state funding as well as re-emphasizing a campus atmosphere to help students succeed.
The Argonaut will release more information as it becomes available.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected].