NIU President Doug Baker’s “Bold Future” for the university will focus on student career success and his three other “pillars,” according to his Wednesday inauguration speech.

Baker, who started work at NIU July 1, used his inauguration ceremony to shine a spotlight on students’ success stories and to explain the changes he hopes to make.

The changes — which would include an alumni mentoring program and budget overhaul — center around Baker’s goal to promote “four pillars:” student career success, a thriving community, financial and program liability and ethically inspired leadership.

“Let’s take our best shot … if it doesn’t work, we’ll back up and try again,” he said.

Student career success

Baker proposed a goal for NIU: Seeing each of its graduates hired for a job in their field of interest within six months of graduation.

To best prepare students for post-graduate work, Baker wants to ensure every student who seeks an internship finds one. He said internships would prove a “critical component” as NIU goes forward.

Alumni

Baker said NIU, which has seen decreased state funding and falling enrollment, will need help from alumni in more ways than one.

Baker said NIU has about 225,000 alumni. He suggested offering an alumni mentor to each student. This will be another step toward helping students prepare for work after graduation.

“We’re going to need the support of our donors at this institution to take us to the next level,” he said.

In order to create the infrastructure for such a program, Baker said there would need to be budgetary changes. Baker said Nancy Suttenfield, interim chief financial officer, has been “charged … with finding ways to clearly link our budgets to the strategic plan.”

Infrastructure

Baker, who announced “sweeping organizational changes” Oct. 11, used his inauguration speech to explain how the changes would affect his plans.

Ray Alden, vice president of International Affairs, a position Baker announced in the Oct. 11 address, has met with partnering institutions in China. Twenty-three leaders from those universities will visit NIU in December.

The steps to make NIU a global university are just another aspect of Baker’s changes.

“We need to forge that new university, that 21st century university,” Baker said.