Gail Fullerton

Gladys "Gail" Mae Fullerton (née Jackson; April 29, 1927 – January 1, 2016) was an academic and university administrator at San Jose State University.

Early life and education Gladys Mae Jackson was born in Frontier County, Nebraska, on April 29, 1927. Her family was greatly affected by the Great Depression, which led her to work in factories during World War II to pay for her college education. In 1949, she earned a BA with a double major in English and speech from the University of Nebraska. She then earned a master's in sociology in 1950 from the same university. In 1954, she and her husband, Snell Putney, were jointly awarded the University of Oregon's first PhD in sociology.

San Jose State University Fullerton briefly taught at Drake University and Florida State University before arriving at San Jose State University in 1963. Her marriage to Putney initially made her ineligible to earn a tenure-track position at the university due to anti-nepotism rules established by then-President John T. Wahlquist, which was rescinded after Walhquist's departure in 1964. In 1972, Fullerton became the dean of graduate studies, in 1977, she became the executive vice president, and on September 1, 1978, she was fully promoted to be the university's president. She was San Jose State's first female president, and the second faculty member to be promoted to the presidency (the first being Morris Elmer Dailey in 1900).

As president, Fullerton focused on raising graduation rates among student-athletes, and oversaw the construction of the Event Center and the Engineering Building. Fullerton retired from the position on September 30, 1991.