Northern Illinois University Names New President

Nothern Illinois University has named Douglas D. Baker as the 12th president of the school.

NIU, which has a campus in Naperville at 1120 E. Diehl Rd., made the announcement Tuesday following a Board of Trustees meeting. 

The 57-year-old Baker is an award-winning professor of business who currently serves as provost and executive vice president at the University of Idaho. NIU's Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to hire Baker, whose appointment will be effective July 1, according to NIU.

“NIU is clearly a university with strong students, an excellent staff and outstanding faculty, who are not only exceptional teachers but also top researchers,” Baker said in a release. “The university’s focus on student engagement is right on target, because ‘job one’ for any university must be student success in the rapidly changing social and economic environment. I believe I can help the university build upon its vision.”

Baker will replace current NIU President John G. Peters, who announced last fall that he would step down June 30, after 13 years at the helm, according to NIU.

Baker holds a Ph.D. in business from the University of Nebraska, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Colorado State University. He has served in his present position at the University of Idaho since 2005, according to NIU.

Prior to the University of Idaho, Baker spent 24 years teaching at Washington State University.