Fieldon King Alexander is an American former university administrator and professor of higher education policy and finance. He was the president of

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

, and

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...

. He resigned from his most recent position as President of Oregon State University in 2021 after a faculty vote of no-confidence.

Early life and career

Alexander is in the Boy's and Girl's Club Hall of Fame. Alexander received a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Lawrence University. After completing his master's degree at Oxford, Alexander worked as Coordinator of External Programs and then as Director of Annual Giving at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

prior to pursuing his Ph.D. at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

University presidencies

Murray State University

Alexander served as the 10th president of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

from 2001 to 2005, his predecessor being his father

Kern Alexander Samuel Kern Alexander Jr. is Professor of Excellence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is endowed by the O'Leary Endowment and Editor of the ''Journal of Education Finance'', published by the University of Illinois Press and ...

. Murray State's faculty senate passed a resolution condemning the closed process behind his appointment by the university's board of regents, which had named itself as the search committee. As president, Alexander improved the relationship between faculty and the administration and oversaw the construction or renovation of several campus buildings, including the Alexander Hall Education Building and the Susan E. Bauernfeind Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Alexander was invited to testify to the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness in the 108th Congress in 2003. Alexander was a Foundation Fellow at

Harris Manchester College Harris Manchester College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarianism, Unitarian students and move ...

and a faculty affiliate at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

California State University, Long Beach

F. King Alexander was appointed as president of California State University, Long Beach in 2006. During his time at CSULB, a new $70 million Student Recreation Wellness Center was completed along with a $110 million Hall of Science building. On May 15, 2013, the California Conference for Equality and Justice presented him with the Humanitarian Award. Cal State Long Beach's focus on improving graduation numbers and rates for all student populations, especially from underrepresented populations, gained national attention. Alexander was an original signatory to the Long Beach College Promise. Alexander was invited to testify to the U.S. House of Representatives hearing on "Barriers to Equal Educational Opportunities: Addressing the Rising Costs of a College Education" (November 1, 2007). The Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, 110th Congress. For his efforts in supporting students access, success and improved student aid programs, Alexander was selected by the California State University Student Association as California State University President of the Year in 2009–10.

Louisiana State University

It was announced on March 27, 2013, that Alexander would become president of the LSU system and chancellor of Louisiana State University A&M effective July 1, 2013. Some criticism occurred over the way the

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

had conducted its search to fill the position of president of LSU after

John V. Lombardi John Vincent Paul Maher Lombardi (born August 19, 1942) is an American professor and former university administrator. He is a native of California, and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees before becoming a professor of Latin Ameri ...

had been fired from it under alleged influence by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. The only living former Louisiana governor, Jindal also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives a ...

and as Alexander was named the sole

finalist The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided. In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between ...

for president of LSU. The decision was met with a unanimously negative

vote of confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

by LSU's faculty senate against the LSU Board of Supervisors, but Board of Supervisors chair Hank Danos asserted that Alexander "was clearly the right guy for LSU." The

interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

president after Lombardi's firing was William Jenkins, who had preceded Lombardi in the position. The Faculty Senate's vote of no confidence in Alexander's hiring noted that Alexander had never been a tenured full professor at a major research university and that the graduation rates at CSULB were lower than those at LSU.

Oregon State University

Alexander was elected to become President of Oregon State University on December 13, 2019, by the Oregon State University Board of Trustees.Colbert, Debbie (December 13, 2019)
"Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees"
(Meeting minutes). The Board of Trustees of Oregon State University, Corvallis OR. He assumed office on July 1, 2020. On March 18, 2021, the Faculty Senate of Oregon State University declared no confidence in Alexander's leadership and demanded he resign in response to revelations about his role in lax enforcement of sexual misconduct at LSU. The Faculty Senate held a plebiscite of all Oregon State faculty from March 19 to March 22, 2021, on the statement, "The Faculty of Oregon State University has no confidence in President Alexander's ability to lead OSU in a way that is consistent with our values, and calls upon him to resign." The statement was approved by 83% of those voting, with a response rate of 39.4%. Alexander resigned from OSU presidency on March 23, 2021, for mishandling sexual misconduct allegations at LSU during his tenure as chancellor and president from 2013 to 2019. His offer to resign was unanimously accepted by the board of trustees who said that they were convinced that the change was necessary due to outpouring of opposition and concern from OSU faculty and students. He is to be paid $630,000 (equivalent to one year's salary) and $40,000 for "relocation assistance".

Personal life

Alexander's first wife, Elizabeth Williams Alexander, died of breast cancer in 2000. In 2006 he married Shenette (Campbell) Alexander.Doug Krikorian

''Long Beach Press Telegram'', 13 May 2007

Publications

*2015. ''Financing Public Schools: Theory, Policy and Practice''. ''C''o-authored with Richard G. Salmon, publisher Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London. *2003. F. King Alexander and Ronald G. Ehrenberg (eds). ''Maximizing Revenue in Higher Education''. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. *2002. ''The University: International Expectations''. McGill-Queen's University Press. *1998''. Residential Colleges: Reforming American Higher Education'', co-edited with Don E. Robertson, Oxford International Round Table, 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, F. King Living people Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford Leaders of Louisiana State University Presidents of Oregon State University Oregon State University people Presidents of Louisiana State University system Presidents of California State University, Long Beach Presidents of Murray State University St. Lawrence University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education alumni People from Louisville, Kentucky Year of birth missing (living people)