Meet Our President
Tim Cost
12th president of Â鶹´«Ă˝
- Assumed office: February 1, 2013
Becoming the 12th president of his undergraduate alma mater, Â鶹´«Ă˝, remains an incredible honor for President Cost, and is the realization of both a personal and professional goal in a remarkable legacy of leadership.
His Story
"In my heart, I never left JU. I've invested more time and energy here than anywhere. It's a special place."
Tim Cost, the 12th President of Â鶹´«Ă˝ (JU) and its first alumnus to hold that office, has charted a distinguished path of leadership rooted in his student-athlete beginnings and a flourishing global business career. A 1981 magna cum laude graduate of JU, he earned his MBA in Finance and Economics at the William E. Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester and completed the Harvard University Presidential Seminar. During his time as a student, he was a four-year letterman on the JU baseball team and holds the distinction of throwing the only nine-inning no-hitter in JU history.
Before returning to his alma mater, Cost spent 32 years serving as a senior executive at major institutions such as PepsiCo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kodak, ARAMARK, Pharmacia/Wyeth/Pfizer, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, and the global consulting firm APCO Worldwide. These roles sharpened his expertise in strategy, capital markets, crisis management, investor relations, public policy, and corporate communications — a rich skill set he brought home to JU.
On February 1, 2013, Cost became President of his undergraduate alma mater. Since 2013, the endowment has increased more than 50%, and the University has expanded to five colleges, nine schools, and three institutes. JU is consistently ranked as a premier institution for students’ return on investment and outcomes, and has been selected one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U. S. News & World Report for the past 15 years. Forbes has named Â鶹´«Ă˝ one of the top 500 universities in the country. He has led the investment of $100 million into the University’s campus, led a successful $120 million ASPIRE campaign, launched the Florida EPIC program to support STEAM education, regional economic investment and job creation, and spearheaded the University’s historic $175 million “Future.Made” comprehensive campaign.
Cost received the JU Distinguished Alumni Award and was selected a “Distinguished Dolphin” in recognition of JU’s 75th Anniversary. He has been inducted into the Florida Council on Economic Education’s Business Hall of Fame, the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Athletics Hall of Fame, has been named “Ultimate CEO” by the Business Journal, one of Florida’s “Most Influential Business Leaders” by Florida Trend, READ USA Leadership Award honoree, “Downtowner of the Year” by DTJax Vision, and “Guardian of the Arts” Award Recipient by Cathedral Arts. Cost is a member of many civic, cultural, and business Boards: among them: GuideWell/Florida Blue, Brooks Rehabilitation, the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust, Nemours Children’s Hospital, the Florida Chamber Board of Governors, Jacksonville Civic Council, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Florida Council of 100, JAXUSA, ASUN Presidents Council, and THE PLAYERS Council.
In October 2025, the JU Board of Trustees announced that Cost would move into the role of Chancellor in summer 2026. As Chancellor, Cost will continue to enhance student success with an active focus externally on partnerships, fundraising, alumni, community and government relations.
Cost and his wife of 42 years, Stephanie, are the proud parents of two children, Melanie and Drew. His commitment to community is broad and he has personally invested more than $10 million to establish the Cost Honors College at JU.
Students First
“We believe in innovation that leads to growth, not status quo. Students get the individualized attention they need, while being challenged to stretch themselves in pursuit of excellence.”
Affable, confident and not above poking fun at himself, he cares most deeply about students. President Cost can often be seen around JU’s beautiful campus bantering with students, texting alumni, Trustees or community members, or pulling aside faculty and staff for a quick piece of advice or word of encouragement. He’s well-known for providing his personal mobile number to any and all students, challenging them to keep him in the loop about student priorities.
Well-versed in balancing the best interests and competing incentives, President Cost interacts with many stakeholders: faculty, staff, communities, investors, analysts, boards, donors, partners, fellow executives, regulators, policy makers, elected officials, government organizations, media, and advocates.
But his priority, every minute of the day, is always the student. This commitment was born from his own experience as a JU Dolphin. President Cost’ firsthand knowledge of what students need and aspire to is what drives him to ask his favorite question. In any University leadership meeting, he is apt to say: “If I’m a student, why do I care about that? Why is that good for me?”
The graduation of the Class of 2017 marked the first group of freshmen who arrived at JU at the beginning of President Cost’ presidency. He often remarks that it was a powerful moment for him personally. A past recipient of the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Distinguished Alumni of Excellence Award (2006), President Cost also joined the JU Board of Trustees in 2009, chairing both the Enrollment and Retention Committee and the Development Committee.
However, none of these accolades motivate him in the same way as direct feedback from students. His open-door policy demonstrates his firm belief in the culture of the University. “We are creating true learners—in lifelong pursuit of learning—who will become tomorrow’s global citizens. And we are not a place where a student simply goes to check off a box on a to-do list and get a job, any job. Our students are inspired to push themselves, build careers and spark lasting passions.”
Community Involvement
"I believe deeply in culture. More precisely, in JU’s culture. A culture of excellence, collaboration, integrity, respect, and community involvement.”
Over the years, President Cost has been involved in numerous campaigns to support and improve JU, including his leadership in the investment of more than $50 million across campus and the ambitious $120 million ASPIRE development campaign. His leadership was also pivotal in launching the Florida EPIC program at JU, to support STEM education, regional economic investment, and job creation. But his vision is much broader than simply what’s happening on campus.
His work ethic and tireless commitment to giving back stretch beyond on-campus improvement.
President Cost devotes numerous hours to civic and community volunteerism and impacting
organizations like the Franklin Caucus, Students in Free Enterprise, the Jacksonville
Sheriff’s Strategic Initiative on Community Outreach, Community Volunteers in Medicine, where he received the Pillar Award for his philanthropic
and leadership service to provide healthcare to workers in need, and the Florida Council
on Economic Education, where he was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame.
He has served as Chairman of the Jacksonville Civic Council, JAXUSA Partnership, the Education Advisory Board of the Northeast Florida STEM – Hub Initiative, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Strategic Initiative on Community Outreach and former member of the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors, the NCAA Presidential Forum, Web.com Board of Directors, and the Boards of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, WJCT Public Broadcasting, Stein Mart and JaxSports.
President Cost is a member of many civic, cultural, and business Boards: The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Florida Council of 100, Guidewell Mutual Holding Corp., Brooks Rehabilitation, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Atlantic Sun Presidents Council, and THE PLAYERS Council.
He and his wife, Stephanie, keep a finger on the pulse of the Arlington community,
but also of the city and state as a whole.
"Ultimately, to me – and this counts for colleagues, the community, our students, staff and faculty – leadership is all about service. You need to meet people where they are and have an impact, every day.”