James A. Drake (academic administrator)
James A. Drake is an American academic administrator and commercial as well as academic author. In March 2007, he was named president of Brevard Community College (now Eastern Florida State College), a public college with campuses in Palm Bay, Melbourne, Cocoa, and Titusville, Florida. With annual enrollments averaging nearly 30,000 students, the multi-campus institution was one of the 100 largest community colleges in the U.S. Prior to his retirement in 2012, Drake received national attention from CNN and other media outlets after donating a substantial portion of his first-year salary as president to fund textbook purchases for financially challenged students. Early life He was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1944. While completing his doctoral studies, he accepted an offer to join the faculty of Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY). Drake earned a Ph.D. degree from Ohio State University in 1973. As a tenured professor and academic administrator at Ithaca College, he served as chair of the Department of Education, associate director of graduate studies, and director of televised studies. In the latter role, he worked with PBS station WNET/13 in New York City for the distribution of credit-earning television courses for teachers in New York State and New Jersey. Drake served