Former ONU President Kendall Baker dies

Ohio Northern University has announced the death of president emeritus Dr. Kendall (Ken) L. Baker, Hon.D. '11. The university announced Baker's death on Facebook on Monday. He died in Colorado on Nov. 27 at age 83. "Dr. Baker served with tremendous distinction as ONU's 10th president from 1999 to 2011, leaving an indelible mark on our campus community," the Facebook post stated. "His tenure was an era of tremendous growth and achievement." The ONU website offered more information on Baker's life and his work at ONU. "Dr. Baker came from a military family and wanted to follow suit, but vision trouble derailed his plans," it states. "He decided to pursue a life of scholarship." Baker obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Maryland in 1963, followed by a master's and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University in 1966 and 1969, respectively. His academic career prior to ONU included teaching political science at the University of Wyoming, serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bowling Green State University, as vice president and provost at Northern Illinois University, and as president of the University of North Dakota (UND). Under his leadership, ONU completed a $100 million comprehensive campaign and significantly expanded the physical campus. Many signature campus facilities were constructed during Baker's presidency, including James F. Dicke Hall, the Mathile Center for the Natural Sciences, The Inn at Ohio Northern University, the Dicke House, Dial-Roberson Stadium, the Remington Walk, and the Baker Residential Commons area of Stadium View Apartments, Klondike's Den, Lakeview, Polar Place, Northern Commons and Affinity Village. The website notes that Baker also devoted extensive time and effort to bolstering academic quality. During his tenure, ONU added undergraduate degree programs in forensic biology, pharmaceutical business and nursing. He and his wife, Toby Baker, BFA '06, were "enthusiastic participants in the heart of campus life" and attended countless student events, the website states. "Every summer, Dr. Baker challenged himself to memorize the names and photographs of the incoming ONU class so that he could personally greet each new student by name. The Bakers have a sweetheart bench on campus and established the Toby and Ken Baker Award for Creativity that is awarded during the annual juried student art exhibit." "Upon leaving UND, Dr. Baker almost became a 'ski bum' before realizing he would deeply miss the joy of serving students – a realization that ultimately led to him becoming ONU's 10th president," wrote Melissa J. Baumann, Ph.D., current president of ONU, in a message to the campus community. "After retiring from ONU, he fulfilled his skiing dreams by settling with Toby in Colorado." Baker, who is survived by his wife in Colorado, requested no funeral or memorial service. "In his memory, I ask you to reflect on one of his favorite quotes from former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt: 'The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,'" Baumann continued. "I invite you to honor his life and legacy by continuing to get into the arena every day, facing life and its challenges with courage, strength and with the big smile for which he was known."