Northern Illinois University President Lisa Freeman announced on Thursday plans to retire by June 2028, almost a decade after she was sworn in as the institution’s first woman president.

Freeman announced her plans in a letter to the campus community and also at a Board of Trustees meeting in DeKalb Thursday morning.

“Since joining NIU in 2010, positioning the university for long-term success, while honoring its mission, vision and values, has been of paramount importance to me,” Freeman said in the letter. “[...] Sharing this decision well in advance supports careful succession planning, institutional continuity and the ability to move important work forward without disruption.”

Freeman’s expected to serve in the role until her retirement effective June 30, 2028.

Her departure will come almost 10 years after she was installed as NIU’s 13th president in April 2019, the first woman to serve in the role.

Freeman came to NIU in 2010 as vice president of research and graduate studies, and later served as executive vice president and provost.

She was appointed in an interim capacity to the executive spot in 2017 after her predecessor, Doug Baker, resigned in the wake of a state investigation that concluded he’d “mismanaged” the university.

Freeman at the time said she didn’t intend to stay in the role permanently.

Nine years later, she called the experience “an incredible honor.”

The Board on Thursday also voted to approve a one-year extension to her contract, The Northern Star reported.

In a Board agenda summary, trustees said Freeman has undergone eight evaluations as president, the last in December 2025.

“[A]nd her performance has consistently shown the Board that her vision and priorities remain clear, her results are measurable and impactful, the opportunities for improved outcomes are well defined, and there’s a plan for moving NIU forward that is aligned with our university’s mission and values,” the summary states.

Freeman’s base salary for each of the final fiscal years of her contract was approved at $515,000.

“Serving as president of Northern Illinois University is an incredible honor, and I’m grateful to the members of NIU’s Board of Trustees for asking me to extend my contract,” she wrote in the letter. “Their continued confidence in my leadership and our community is an important catalyst in our collective ability to advance the university’s goals and the success of each student.”