DeKALB | Provost Lisa Freeman will be assuming the role of President Doug Baker immediately following the enactment of his resignation June 30, making her NIU’s first female president.

While Freeman holds the position on an interim basis per the presidential succession policy, university officials will be conducting a nationwide search for an individual to permanently fulfill the role of president. Though Freeman would be an eligible contender in this search, she has chosen not to join the running, said Board of Trustees Chair John Butler.

“This is certainly not a transition I envisioned, and this is a bittersweet occasion for me, but I’m honored to have this opportunity to serve Northern Illinois University,” Freeman said.

Freeman, who was hired in 2010 as the vice president for Research and Graduate Studies, “has served on the Illinois Innovation Council, as well as on the boards of directors of the Fermi Research Alliance; the Chicago Council on Science and Technology; and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center,” according to her biography on NIU’s website. She held various leadership roles at Kansas State University University for 16 years prior to her hiring at NIU.

“I am confident Lisa will build on the work we’ve done to enhance our financial sustainability, improve and expand on our retention and recruitment initiatives and better align our resources with the university’s mission,” Baker said in a June 15 Baker Report.

Baker announced his resignation during a Thursday Board of Trustees meeting, which he credited to the NIU community’s reaction to the release of a report regarding an investigation into the university’s hiring and procurement practices in 2013 and 2014.

The two year investigation conducted by the Office of the Executive Inspector General concluded NIU paid five individuals who were intentionally misclassified as affiliate employees more than a roughly $1 million combined between 2013 and 2014 — a choice the OEIG said was because of Baker’s “mismanagement” of the university.

Despite such circumstances, Freeman said she is looking forward to serving as acting president.

“It’s an honor to be able to help and support this institution during this very challenging time,” Freeman said. “I look forward to working with the Board [and] the faculty and staff.”