A Black Man With a Stellar Resume Is Named President of Predominantly White Florida Gulf Coast University

Wilson G. Bradshaw was named the third president of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. He had been the president of Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was also a professor of psychology.

In learning that the board of trustees voted unanimously to offer him the job among the three finalists, Dr. Bradshaw remarked, “This is certainly one of the best days of my life.”

Dr. Bradshaw is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. He holds a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Florida Atlantic University and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

He has taught and held administrative posts at Georgia Southern University, Florida A&M University, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Florida Atlantic University, and Wright State University.

Florida Gulf Coast University has about 6,100 undergraduate students, 5.6 percent of whom are black.