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NIU's Baker steps down, will receive $600K in severance agreement

Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com NIU President Douglas Baker talks with Trustee Eric Wasowicz before a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2017, in the Board of Trustees room at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Baker, who announced at the top of the meeting that he'll step down June 30 as president in the wake of a state investigation that concluded he'd "mismanaged" the university, will receive about $600,000 in severance pay, as agreed upon by the board after about seven hours of executive session. (Matthew Apgar)

Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com NIU President Douglas Baker talks with Trustee Eric Wasowicz before a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2017, in the Board of Trustees room at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Baker, who announced at the top of the meeting that he'll step down June 30 as president in the wake of a state investigation that concluded he'd "mismanaged" the university, will receive about $600,000 in severance pay, as agreed upon by the board after about seven hours of executive session. (Matthew Apgar)

Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees member Veronica Herrero voices her support of President Douglas Baker after his resignation announcement. The Office of Executive Inspector General's report from an investigation into hiring practices at NIU found that Baker hired friend and state of Washington resident Ron Walters as a part-time employee with a salary of $425,041, making Walters the third highest-paid employee of the college behind Baker and football coach Rod Carey. All told, the report said, five such employees were hired and improperly classified, and paid more than $1 million in total. (Matthew Apgar)

Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com NIU President Douglas Baker listens to pubic comment after announcing his resignation, effective June 30, at a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2017, in the Board of Trustees room at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Faculty, notably Virginia Naples, professor of biological sciences at Northern Illinois University, called Doug Baker's resignation as president of Northern Illinois University a "necessary change." ​"It is the perception of the public that will determine the future course and success for the community," Naples said. "Financial mismanagement needs to be removed and corrected so the public can regain the perception that NIU is headed where it needs to go. "A new broom sweeps clean, and we need a new broom." (Matthew Apgar)

Lisa Freeman