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NIU Trustees Unanimously Approve Lisa Freeman As Candidate For Presidency

Lisa Freeman displays gratitude after the vote to enter contract negotiations for the NIU presidency
Chase Cavanaugh
Lisa Freeman displays gratitude after the vote to enter contract negotiations for the NIU presidency

As of Thursday, Northern Illinois University is one step closer to having a permanent president.

Northern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Lisa Freeman as their candidate for university president. She's been serving in an "acting" capacity since the resignation of Doug Baker in 2017. Trustees praised Dr. Freeman for her past year of leadership in a time of declining enrollment and budgetary realignment.  Former state representative and current board trustee Bob Pritchard says her leadership will be invaluable.

“I think she will move us forward to the place that this university can be competitive, and most importantly can survive in very uncertain times ahead," he said.

NIU released numbers earlier this week showing an overall 4.8% drop in enrollment.

Freeman expressed her gratitude at the board’s decision. Trustees declined conducting a national search earlier this year when Freeman agreed to consider the role permanently.

"It’s an honor and a privilege to be here today. I look forward to working with everyone," she said. "Those who supported the process, [and] those who didn’t support the process. Everyone who loves NIU-- to move this great university forward together."

The board’s next step is to negotiate a contract with Dr. Freeman before officially promoting her to President permanently.

Copyright 2018 WNIJ Northern Public Radio

Chase started in radio while earning his Master's in diplomacy and international commerce at the University of Kentucky. He was bitten by the radio bug while volunteering at Radio Eye (a local equivalent to NIRIS) and soon became a reporter at WUKY. After four years of reporting in Kentucky's Bluegrass, Chase traveled north to join WNIJ as Morning Edition producer. He organizes our morning broadcast, making sure the host is well-supplied with interesting, fresh content. In addition to his pre-dawn duties, Chase reports on a variety of developments in our broadcast area but is particularly drawn to anything with a political or international connection. He is also an avid board gamer.