After 14 years of engaged leadership that has elevated Jacksonville University student success, academic growth and community impact, President Tim Cost will become Chancellor in summer 2026, concluding one of the most active CEO eras in the University’s 91-year evolution. In his new role, a planned transition agreed to with the JU Board of Trustees in 2022, Cost will actively focus externally on partnerships, fundraising, alumni, community and government relations.
"President Cost’s exemplary leadership over the past 14 years has transformed our University in remarkable ways,” said Jacksonville University Board Chair John Miller. “Under his guidance, we've enjoyed growth in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, developed countless strategic partnerships in and outside of our community, and elevated our profile both in the region and beyond. The Board is grateful for his extraordinary commitment as President and his dedication to students, and we are confident he will help further advance our mission and expand our impact as Chancellor.”
The University plans to conduct the customary search for Cost’s successor under the direction of JU’s Board of Trustees. Details about the succession plan and presidential search will be forthcoming.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as President,” Cost said. “This is a unique, thriving campus with vibrant students and faculty, and we are proud to have been of service to this great community. The senior executive talent here is deep and ready, and the time is right to transition to Chancellor. I will now focus externally on relationships to open new doors for students and to build an even better University. We welcome this opportunity to continue to serve, and we will always be fully committed to our culture of excellence."
Progress under first alumni President
A 1981 magna cum laude graduate of Jacksonville University, and the first alumnus to serve as President in the University’s history, Cost was elected in October 2012 and began his tenure as JU’s 12th President in February 2013. Since then, the University has experienced continued momentum, achieving its highest U.S. News & World Report rankings and its first-ever inclusion in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 Forbes Top 500 U.S. universities. He directed the two largest and most successful fundraising campaigns in school history and spearheaded the “Renew Arlington” effort of community investment and economic development.
During President Cost’s tenure, the University has expanded from three colleges, five schools and two institutes to today’s five colleges, nine schools and three institutes, and established important partnerships with world-class companies, healthcare providers, and community organizations. The many firsts under Cost include the launch of the innovative STEAM Institute and the introduction of new, in-demand major fields of study including speech language pathology, clinical mental health counseling, occupational therapy, accelerated nursing, business analytics, engineering, law, data science, AI, cybersecurity and robotics. Since 2013, the University has launched the Keigwin School of Nursing, the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences, the Linda Berry Stein College of Arts and Sciences, the Frisch Welcome Center, the Haskell Public Policy Institute, and the Rock Lacrosse Center.
JU opened its Weatherford, Martire, and Wodehouse residence halls, the River House, as well as North Hall for the honors living/learning community, and its on-campus Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks venues, all since 2015. Its multibuilding Health Sciences Complex and Medical Mall, and its turbo roundabout campus entryway were brought online since 2022. The growth at JU, and the President’s proactive approach to partnership, also helped attract millions of dollars in private investment and development throughout Arlington.
In 2022, the University launched its College of Law located in downtown Jacksonville and celebrated its first graduating class this past spring, which achieved the second-highest bar passage rate in the state at 91.7%. Cost also led the partnership with LECOM, the largest medical school in the United States, to form LECOM at Jacksonville University, the region’s first four-year medical school which is on schedule to open in Arlington in fall 2026.
In 2024, the University announced the establishment of the Cost Honors College, now 450 undergraduates, made possible through the transformational personal philanthropic investment of President Cost and First Lady Stephanie Cost, totaling more than $10 million. In addition to the creation of the Honors College, the Costs helped build the University into a valuable economic engine for Jacksonville and for the Arlington community it calls home.
Career of Commitment
The former student-athlete and four-year letterman on JU’s baseball team, Cost returned to his alma mater after a successful 32-year global business career as a senior executive at PepsiCo, Kodak, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ARAMARK, Pharmacia, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth/Pfizer, and APCO Worldwide. He was named the University’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2006.
Cost has been inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame and the JU Athletics Hall of Fame. He has been named among Florida’s Top 500 business leaders by Florida Trend magazine for the past eight years and has been selected “Ultimate CEO” by the Business Journal, “Downtowner of the Year” by DTJax Vision and “Guardian of the Arts” with his wife, Stephanie, by the Cathedral Arts Project. He serves on numerous regional business and civic/community boards, including GuideWell/Florida Blue, the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust, Brooks Rehabilitation, the Jacksonville Civic Council, and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, among others. He is a member of the World Affairs Council, Florida Council of 100, Florida Chamber of Commerce and has previously served on the Boards of Directors of the NCAA, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Jacksonville Symphony, WJCT, JAXUSA, The Players Council, Web.Com and Stein Mart.
