Madigan and his cronies will do anything to keep the support of their union votes. Pensions are going away everywhere but among government employees. Until they get new union agreements to go to guaranteed contributions instead of guaranteed payouts, the state is doomed. Rauner is doing what he can to force this issue. In the next election any citizen who cares about being taxed out of existence will vote to oust the current legislature. Illinois has the highest taxes in the nation already. I've lived here my whole life and never thought I would leave, but I'm very close to that now. Pres. Baker was a fine man and is being used as a scapegoat.

(06-15-2017 01:37 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Democrats could pass a budget without the Governor but won't.
They don't want to pass an income tax increase to fund pensions because people are at least a little smart.
The state needs reforms but politicians don't want to make tough choices.
Let's raise the tax on pop instead to an outrageous amount and say we care about obesity. What a f.. crock.

Well played. Toni Preckwinkle.
"It's all about the kids..."

A crock indeed.
What can we tax and make it seem like it's about the kids...?

Soda Pop!

(06-15-2017 02:17 PM)bigredmachine Wrote:  Madigan and his cronies will do anything to keep the support of their union votes. Pensions are going away everywhere but among government employees. Until they get new union agreements to go to guaranteed contributions instead of guaranteed payouts, the state is doomed. Rauner is doing what he can to force this issue. In the next election any citizen who cares about being taxed out of existence will vote to oust the current legislature. Illinois has the highest taxes in the nation already. I've lived here my whole life and never thought I would leave, but I'm very close to that now. Pres. Baker was a fine man and is being used as a scapegoat.

The Board may be trying to use Baker as a scapegoat to protect themselves but that doesn't change the fact that he is guilty of misappropriation of funds and deceit. That's not my definition of a fine man.
It looks like the board was trying to cover this up so the next step in the investigation should be to dig into who knew what and when. The board is just as guilty as Baker.

(06-15-2017 01:25 PM)dekalb222 Wrote:  Illinois doesn't have a budget because the Governor and his party are trying to break the union and get rid of collective bargaining. This will severely hurt education! It is wrong to hold the state hostage. You can argue over issues, policies but you still need a budget passed. I don't see one being passed until after the next election happens. When was the last time a Republican or Democratic governor didn't pass a budget.

The Governor doesn't pass a budget. He can only sign or veto what is sent to him. So the Dem House and Senate needs to send him a balanced budget, which the state constitution requires.

(06-15-2017 12:44 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(06-15-2017 10:43 AM)HuskieBowWow Wrote:  This doesn't reflect well on the Board of Trustees. They were going to ignore Baker's transgressions but were forced to do something only when events became public. They were complicit and need to be held accountable as well.

Quote:The report's findings were released to university officials nearly a year ago but made publicly available only on May 31.

Agree, looks like the Trustees were going to let it go.

I also agree. If this never came out Baker would still be here. Everyone on the Board of Trustees needs to go.

(06-15-2017 02:17 PM)bigredmachine Wrote:  Pres. Baker was a fine man and is being used as a scapegoat.

B...S..., Baker is an Idaho spud.

Georgeborkfan, the Govenor isn't interested in signing a budget! This is about Unions and collective bargaining. Look to Wisconsin and Kansas for the blueprint.

Huskie1stdown, I guess will go without a budget and see what the people of Illinois decide at the end of Rauners term. Tough choices yes but not on the backs of the working class or education.

(06-15-2017 04:43 PM)dekalb222 Wrote:  Huskie1stdown, I guess will go without a budget and see what the people of Illinois decide at the end of Rauners term. Tough choices yes but not on the backs of the working class or education.

Stop the socio-economic rhetoric. The fact is the state of Illinois pension funds are under water by $130 billion, which equates to about $10,000 owed per citizen. If you are a family of four, that's $40,000. Those pensions are owed to retired teachers and state workers, and are paid for by you, me and the non-government employed "working class". The state can barely fund the current liabilities, let alone cover the future costs.
A balanced budget is trivial compared to the debt issue facings the state, and raising taxes has the catch 22 of driving more people and business to other states which worsens the revenues earned. Unlike the feds, the state can't print more money to cover its deficits. Won't matter who the folks elect in 2018 because everyone refuses to address the elephant in the room.

Can someone please explain to me what teacher's unions and Baker resigning have in common for this thread?

(06-15-2017 06:58 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  Can someone please explain to me what teacher's unions and Baker resigning have in common for this thread?

None.

Hopefully we hire someone as President who is focused on the school, it students and the faculty and not on lining the pockets of his friends. Hopefully that isn't asking for too much.

(06-15-2017 04:38 PM)dekalb222 Wrote:  Georgeborkfan, the Govenor isn't interested in signing a budget! This is about Unions and collective bargaining. Look to Wisconsin and Kansas for the blueprint.

He may or may not be interested. But, since the legislature hasn't sent him a constitutional budget, he hasn't had to decide to sign or veto it. They have to do their job first.

You know why the Dems won't send him a budget? They don't want to go on record showing what actually needs to be done to balance the budget. So, they just pontificate about the governor.

and the Koch brothers' Gov doesn't want to go on record and even hint that he is considering a tax increase. In order to please the Koch crowd he must bust unions which ain't gonna fly in blue illinois

Has Baker stepped down or is this just speculation?

(06-16-2017 06:53 AM)Stpetebeachrocketfan Wrote:  Has Baker stepped down or is this just speculation?

He stepped down. DeKalb Daily Chronicle reported it and he sent the alumni association an email saying I'm out!

So, we'll see what happens.

Daily Herald:
Northern Illinois University will pay President Doug Baker about $600,000 plus benefits when he steps down later this month.
Baker announced Thursday that he is resigning in the wake of a state investigation accusing him and other administrators of mismanagement when it comes to hiring consultants. Later that day trustees emerged from a nearly seven-hour closed session to announce his severance arrangement. Under the deal Baker will receive a full year's salary of $450,000 and $137,000 to not serve as a member of the College of Business faculty.

NIU's executive vice president and provost, Lisa Freeman, will serve as the DeKalb school's interim president starting July 1. Baker's last day is June 30. Freeman says she doesn't plan to pursue the position permanently and will serve until a replacement is found.

(06-16-2017 06:57 AM)UnknownScout Wrote:  

(06-16-2017 06:53 AM)Stpetebeachrocketfan Wrote:  Has Baker stepped down or is this just speculation?

He stepped down. DeKalb Daily Chronicle reported it and he sent the alumni association an email saying I'm out!

So, we'll see what happens.

Here is the e-mail:

Endings and New Beginnings

Over the past four years, I have enjoyed sharing the progress we’ve made in building a more sustainable organization, creating a more just and inclusive environment and the almost daily achievements in teaching, research, artistry and engagement that have promoted our goal of student career success.

I also have reported with pride about the awards earned by members of the NIU community, have shared the excellence exhibited by our students and faculty, both inside and outside the classroom, and expressed gratitude for the immense work undertaken by hundreds of staff and faculty to deliver on a multi-year commitment to Program Prioritization.

Then there have been the times when I’ve provided you information on the challenges we face in maintaining financial stability, given our tenuous state political and fiscal climate, and the lengths we have had to go to reduce our operating budget to deal with this persistent uncertainty. And, there have been times when I’ve had the task of clarifying other issues that have challenged our ability to move the University forward.

This brings us to May 31, when I provided important background on the release of the report from the State of Illinois’ Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG) that reviewed procurement and hiring practices that happened back in the early months of my administration, in mid- to late-2013.While I take full responsibility for the mistakes made on my watch, I also take great exception to the unfair characterization of my actions in that report. Our Board of Trustees also clarified their understanding of what occurred and outlined corrective actions we undertook to address the errors and prevent their recurrence. As I said then, the staff members brought on board in 2013 and 2014 were hired to make urgent changes that I believed were necessary to move the University forward at a key time when it was under great scrutiny from federal agencies. I sincerely believed that all decisions were in compliance with the applicable requirements.

Nonetheless, it is clear to me that the reaction and concerns relating to the OEIG report — despite the work that the Board and I did several years ago to address the issues as soon as we became aware of them — have distracted the institution from the important work we need to do to address the challenges we face. I care too deeply about NIU to allow that to happen.

I shared my concerns with Board Chair John Butler last week. After careful consideration, we concluded the best step for the institution was to move forward with a presidential transition arrangement. As a result, I will be leaving the university on June 30.

I leave the University in the very capable hands of Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa C. Freeman, who has been of great support to me during my tenure here, and has led many of our major initiatives, most notably Program Prioritization. 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.I ask that you support Lisa as she assumes her role as Acting President on July 1.

My thanks to our wonderful leadership team, our strong cadre of Deans, the faculty and staff, our inspiring and talented students, donors, alumni and my office staff for their support.

I also want to give my sincere thanks to the Board of Trustees for giving me the opportunity to lead NIU. It has been an exciting, professionally rewarding and ennobling experience for both Dana and myself.I wish you the best of luck in moving this great institution forward in these very challenging and turbulent times.

Go Huskies!

Doug

No one gives two people 400K for about a year of work without thinking maybe we should have put this out for competitive bidding.

Baker and his administration tried to quickly fix the situation because they were afraid they were about to get caught.

NIU needs to bring in money so they enroll anyone who can breath. This is partially due to not getting money from the state government.

Student turnover is high because many of the students are not ready for college level courses.

It may be best to consolidate the state universities. Chicago State U should be closed. It enrolled 86 freshmen last year and is a bastion of corruption. Perhaps Eastern and Western Illinois Universities should be consolidated into one school. Northern and Southern may need to decrease in size and offer certain majors in one school or the other. The Pennsylvania State University system is facing the same consolidation issue. They are considering consolidating the smaller state universities.

(06-16-2017 08:11 AM)brandsxb Wrote:  No one gives two people 400K for about a year of work without thinking maybe we should have put this out for competitive bidding.

Baker and his administration tried to quickly fix the situation because they were afraid they were about to get caught.

NIU needs to bring in money so they enroll anyone who can breath. This is partially due to not getting money from the state government.

Student turnover is high because many of the students are not ready for college level courses.

It may be best to consolidate the state universities. Chicago State U should be closed. It enrolled 86 freshmen last year and is a bastion of corruption. Perhaps Eastern and Western Illinois Universities should be consolidated into one school. Northern and Southern may need to decrease in size and offer certain majors in one school or the other. The Pennsylvania State University system is facing the same consolidation issue. They are considering consolidating the smaller state universities.

I would guess you would look to close some of the 50+ community colleges, assuming they also receive some state funding, before you even glance at higher profile research universities like NIU or SIU?

Sun-Times article:
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/outgoin...ance-deal/