Fred Gainous
Fred Gainous | |
|---|---|
| 9th President of Florida A&M University | |
| In office 2002–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Lewis III, Frederick S. Humphries |
| Succeeded by | Castell V. Bryant, James H. Ammons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fred Jerome Gainous July 6, 1947 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Alma mater |
|
Fred Jerome Gainous (born July 6, 1947) is an American academic administrator. He was the 9th president of Florida A&M University, serving from 2002 until 2004. He also served as chancellor of Alabama's community college system from 1988 until 2002.
Early life and education
[edit]Gainous was born on July 6, 1947 in Tallahassee, Florida, where he grew up in the Frenchtown neighborhood and attended Lincoln High School.[1]
After high school, Gainous attended Florida A&M University, paying for his education by working as a janitor at the university library and a doctor's home.[1] Gainous graduated from Florida A&M in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education.[1] After two years teaching high school, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and completed a master's degree in agricultural education in 1972.[2][1] In 1975, Gainous completed an Ed.D. at the University of Florida College of Education with a thesis titled The role of the county adult education administrator in Florida.[2][1]
Career
[edit]From 1985 to 1987, Gainous an associate commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education.[1] Then from 1987 to 1988, Gainous was an associate vice president at St. Petersburg College.[1]
Gainous served as the chancellor of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education (overseeing the Alabama Community College System) from 1988 to 2002.[3][4] Gainous returned to Florida A&M University in the role of university president in 2002.[5] However, Florida A&M experienced financial struggles under his presidency such as a $1.8 million deficit, employees criminally charged with theft, and late financial aid payments to students.[6] On September 28, 2004, the Florida A&M board of trustees voted 8–4 to fire Gainous after year's end, citing mismanagement of school finances and the move of the Florida A&M Rattlers football team to NCAA Division I-A, among other problems.[3][7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Barnett, Cynthia (October 2003). "Profile: Fred Gainous". Florida Trend. Archived from the original on March 29, 2006. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Gainous, Fred Jerome (1975). "Biographical Sketch". The role of the county adult education administrator in Florida (Ed.D.). University of Florida. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Kumar, Anita (September 29, 2004). "FAMU trustees vote to fire president". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Kumar, Anita (May 18, 2002). "FAMU greets new president". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2002. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ "FAMU Presidents". Florida A&M University. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Kumar, Anita (November 30, 2003). "Financial turmoil racks FAMU". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on February 25, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Powell, Robert Andrew (October 9, 2004). "Florida A&M Tries to Recover From Failed Bid". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Yeager, Melanie (September 29, 2004). "Headed for the door". Tallahassee Democrat. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- Presidents of Florida A&M University
- Florida A&M University alumni
- University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni
- Living people
- 1947 births
- African-American academic administrators
- 21st-century African-American academics
- 20th-century African-American academics
- 20th-century American academics
- 21st-century American academics
- University of Florida College of Education alumni