Fred Gainous

Fred Jerome Gainous 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
Gainous was born on July 6, 1947, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Lincoln High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Florida A&M University in 1969. After two years teaching high school, he went on for his master's degree at the University of Florida, which he received in agricultural education in 1972. He continued to a doctorate in education from the same institution, which he received in 1975 with a thesis titled The role of the county adult education administrator in Florida.

Career
Gainous was briefly an associate commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education, and an associate vice president at St. Petersburg College. He then served as the chancellor of the Alabama College System's Department of Postsecondary Education (covering community and junior colleges) from 1988 to 2002.

Gainous returned to Florida A&M University in the role of university president in 2002. After about two years, however, the university board of trustees voted to fire him, citing financial troubles, mismanagement of a move of the football program to NCAA Division I-A, and other problems.