Fred Gainous

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]

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]