(12-21-2015 10:59 AM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote: No offense, but to me this seems like one of EW's old buddies who's pissed off because Baker & the BOT tried to boot him and took away his power.
His wife is the one who filed the complaint with the Inspector General's office and based on her quotes in the DC story, where she says she didn't like the way Baker was brought in (probably because it meant her husband and EW's buddies were on their way out), I think it confirms that he's one of EW's people who's pissed off because Baker was brought in, and that in and of itself gets him no sympathy from me.
As Lee Corso would say: Not so fast.
First and foremost, never was a fan of EW, but his exit was in place before Baker took over. No idea if these are EW's buddies or not, but here's a link to an article entitled
Cronyism and Procurement Violations at NIU:
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/category/feature/ (scroll down about two-thirds to find this)
Key parts include the following:
...Baker apparently determined a new senior administrative position [Senior Associate Vice President for Human Resources (SAVP)]. ...hard to reconcile the creation of new position with claims he was reducing senior level administrative positions.
Talance Group from Portland Oregon apparently submitted the best proposal ...signed effective November 21, 2014. (NIU) requires at least three references from higher education institutions of like size that have had experience with the Vendor providing solutions similar to what is requested.” There is not one institution of higher education on their response, let alone one of comparable size. .... Questionable if Talance Group was "highly experienced," but consultant friend of Baker (Dr. Pfeiffer) was previous supervisor to a Ms. Cadaswan, who began assisting Baker back in April of 2014. After first FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) was submitted, NIU decided to cancel the contract.
Not long after Baker was hired, NIU paid a consultant a six-figure salary similar to what Baker was getting as a president to make recommendations on a master plan. That's the one that talked about connecting NIU to a dead downtown DeKalb, buying up old Johnson Street homes, etc. with no indication how any of this would be paid for, disregarding the current economic state of Illinois and the decreasing funding for education.
It's one thing to hire a Sean Frazier with a background rooted in places like Alabama and Wisconsin, and it's another to get a spud from Idaho, an institution almost everyone on this board loathes from an athletic standpoint. What Moscow, ID, and the Vandals have that relates to DeKalb and the Huskies was then and remains a mystery. Word on campus is that Frazier and athletics have to beg for Baker's attention.
Today, local radio stations were reporting that members of the BOT are concerned because the Boston legal firm Baker has to defend him (something he had added to his contract to come to NIU) charges at a higher rate than what is allowed under NIU's budget. Since the university is obligated to pay despite the lack of funds coming from Springfield, this definitely has an impact on the university finances.
Thanks to the clods on both sides in Springfield, building on the new Stevens Building had to be stopped because of a lack of funds. Unfortunately, NIU had to come up with thousands to winterize the partial structure or else the partial building would not make it that theoretical point in time when funds will exist to complete the project.
Then came a follow-up entitled:
NIU's Intentional Abuse of State Procurement and Travel Rules.
arcountywatchdogs.com/2015/12/nius-intentional-abuse-of-state-procurement-and-travel-rules/
Once again, it's revealed a consulting firm hired is run by another friend of Baker's. Like any organization of size, there is no limit on stupid decisions or people scratching the backs of people who then return the scratch. Sadly, much-hated ex-AD Gerald O'Dell was a paid consultant to meet with NIU's athletic administration during a retreat in Wisconsin. Would be interesting to know if O'Dell spoke on hiring ala bringing Charlie Sadler to DeKalb.
/
President Baker in the dog house?
