A new acting dean of NIU’s College of Continuing Education was appointed Monday, prompting critical remarks from the former dean.

Provost Kendall Baker named Curriculum and Instruction Professor Nancy Vedral as the college’s new dean. Vedral is also vice president of the NIU faculty senate.

Baker said, “I’m quite confident she (Vedral) will provide effective leadership.”

The position was last held by William Young, an NIU instructor of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies. Young said Baker removed him from his position to join the teaching faculty last August as part of a reorganization plan.

NIU President John La Tourette said he was pleased with Vedral’s appointment and that she had a great deal of experience with professional and continuing education programs. When asked why Young left the dean’s position, La Tourette said to talk to Young himself about the matter.

Young said he wanted to discuss the situation with Baker in August. However, Baker was set in his decision, he said.

“The way he handled the change shocked and surprised myself, the College of Continuing Education and my fellow deans,” Young said.

Last July, Baker announced that NIU would soon begin replacing its current College of Continuing Education with an “alternative external programming operation.”

“We went through a process that started last August. A substantial study of the condition of continuing education by a taskforce that included faculty representatives,” Baker said.

Young said, “I didn’t believe the organizational structure should be changed. NIU was the largest producer of off-campus credit programs in the state of Illinois.”

The factors in the reorganization, Young said, were that Baker wanted a new reward system for the faculty and wanted to get their commitment by decentralizing it.

“Obviously he’s changed his mind, at least temporarily,” Young said.

Young also said there was a deficit with the college that could’ve been one of the reasons for the restructuring.

“The programs were being administered correctly. However, there was a deficit we were trying to respond to,” he said.

The purchase of a computer system, cancellations and low enrollment, were some of the reasons for the deficit, Young said. The deficit, however, was being managed well by the appropriate members in financial administration.

Baker previously said the question of reorganization actually began in 1987 when he recommended NIU colleges and departments should be encouraged to include off-campus programming in their mission statements. Baker said then that he wanted the goals of the continuing education to reflect this change.

Young said Baker was actually dismantling the college in his reorganizations.

The faculty senate sent resolutions to Baker, among which stated he reinstate the dean’s position and put faculty members on a reorganization taskforce, Young said.

“The faculty senate were instrumental in his bringing back the College of Continuing Education,” Young said.

“All of these questions have been debated at great length. The current situation is—the College of Education continues,” Baker said.