Fred Gainous
American academic administrator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
July 6, 1947
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 |
| Alma mater |
|
Early life and education
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
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]