DeKALB — The Faculty Senate postponed a vote of no confidence Wednesday against President Doug Baker, instead exploring the possibility of faculty involvement in the presidential evaluation process.

A vote of no confidence would formally signify the faculty’s lack of support for Baker, although no actions against Baker could result from the vote.

Discussion of the confidence vote first arose in a Jan. 25 Faculty Senate meeting during which members addressed Baker’s Dec. 22 email to the NIU community in which he announced upgrading NIU’s Whistleblower Policy and revising employment policies as a result of “weaknesses in internal controls, some limited compliance violations, and lack of clarity of policies across multiple units,” that occurred in 2013 and 2014, according to the email.

The motion to take the confidence vote was proposed in a March 24 email from Michael Haji-Sheikh, associate professor of electrical engineering.

“I believe that the university hasn’t been well served by this president and administration,” Haji-Sheikh said after the 3 p.m. meeting Wednesday in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room.

Baker, who was hired in 2013, delivered a presentation during the meeting in which he addressed questions previously put forth by members of Faculty Senate about the Dec. 22 email.

“Clearly some errors were made in that first year in terms of the hiring processes, and I take responsibility for that,” Baker said during the meeting. “When they were identified, we did take steps to clarify policies and procedures.”

Following the presentation, there was a question and answer session between Baker and the Faculty Senate during which members discussed conflicts including equity issues and pay raises.

“We don’t think you’re on our side,” said Joseph Stephen, associate professor of mathematical sciences. “We don’t think you support the academic side.”

Although the vote of confidence was postponed, members of Faculty Senate were able to work with the Board of Trustees about presidential evaluations prior to the Wednesday meeting.

“This is our immediate response, and this provides an opportunity to show goodwill on our part and collaboration on our part toward the Board of Trustees,” said Faculty Senate Speaker Greg Long during the meeting.

The Faculty Senate proposed a resolution in which they requested involvement in the Board of Trustees’ presidential evaluation process, particularly when Baker’s contract ends in June 2018. The resolution also requested formalized involvement of staff, students, instructors, alumni and community members in the evaluation process.

In an email to Long, Trustee John Butler proposed incorporating faculty voice in the review process. Butler alludes to prior conversation between himself and Long about the potential involvement.

“You expressed particular interest in the manner in which representatives of the faculty, supportive professional staff, operating staff, and students will participate [in evaluating the performance of the president],” Butler said in the email. “The assessment pool will certainly involve such representation (as well as trustees, the president’s direct reports, and representatives from external stakeholders such as the Alumni Association, Foundation Board, community leaders, etc.).”

A formal decision regarding faculty involvement in the evaluation process has not yet been proposed during a Board of Trustees meeting.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for presidential reviews, which occur multiple times throughout a president’s term. Other parties may participate in the reviews, such as “University Council, the NIU Foundation, the NIU Alumni Association, representatives of student and community organizations, and any other persons or entities which the Board deems appropriate,” according to the Board of Trustees’ Bylaws.

The president is subject to review regarding his or her compliance with university procedures and policies and compliance with federal and state statutes, according to the bylaws.

Baker has been involved with an ongoing investigation by the Office of Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor, a state agency that investigates reports of wrong-doing by entities and individuals including employees of public state universities, according to the organization’s website.

Because it is an open investigation, its nature has not been disclosed. However, Faculty Senate proposed a motion requesting the agency either visit campus to explain the investigation process or deliver a report when the investigation is closed. This motion was withdrawn due to the delay of the no confidence vote.

The next Faculty Senate meeting will be held 3 p.m. April 26 in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room.

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Correction: The article previously said that Michael Haji-Sheikh is an assistant professor of electrical engineering when he is an associate professor of electrical engineering.