F. King Alexander


Fieldon King Alexander is the president of Oregon State University and the former president of Louisiana State University, of California State University, Long Beach, and of Murray State University.

Early life and career

Alexander was born in Kentucky but raised in Gainesville, Florida. His mother, Ruth H. Alexander, was an activist for women in collegiate sports and was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. Both his father and brothers played collegiate football. His father, Kern Alexander, is Professor of Excellence at the University of Illinois.
Alexander received a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a master's degree in educational studies/comparative education policy from the University of Oxford, and a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Lawrence University. At St. Lawrence, he was a member of the men's basketball team, and at Cal State Long Beach he was occasionally seen on campus in pickup games with students.

University presidencies

Murray State University

Alexander was the president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001 to 2005, his predecessor being his father Kern Alexander.

California State University, Long Beach

F. King Alexander was appointed as the sixth president of California State University, Long Beach on January 9, 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. The Hall of Science building was the largest capital building project in the history of the CSULB campus and most expensive building project in the CSU system. Enrollment at CSULB was 34,500 when Alexander took office, and it increased by more than 2,000 students by 2012. At the same time that Alexander oversaw an increase in the student body, he oversaw a 12% decrease in the total number of faculty from 2185 in Spring 2006 to 1890 in Spring 2013. On May 15, 2013, the California Conference for Equality and Justice presented him with the Humanitarian Award.

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 Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors had conducted its search to fill the position of president of LSU after John V. Lombardi had been fired from it under alleged influence by Governor Bobby Jindal and as Alexander was named the sole finalist for president of LSU. The decision was met with a unanimously negative vote of confidence 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 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. He assumed office on July 1, 2020.

Personal life

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

Publications