As a kid growing up in Syracuse, NY, Tim Cost played all the major sports and developed into a strong athlete. A promising pitcher and shortstop, he had offers to play at several Florida schools, including Jacksonville University. He remembered JU from its 1970 men’s basketball team, which made it all the way to the nationallytelevised NCAA Championship game thanks to Artis Gilmore '71, Pembrook Burrows '71, Rex Morgan '76 and others.
Cost committed to JU “sight unseen.” It turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life. He excelled on the diamond and in the classroom. In 1978, as a freshman, Cost pitched the only nine-inning no-hitter in JU baseball history, and graduated in 1981 magna cum laude.
His background in collegiate athletics gave him a greater appreciation for the overall experience of student-athletes. He also recognized the value of competing against elite teams at the highest levels of any sport and the invaluable exposure that can bring to a university. After all, if Artis Gilmore had not captured the nation’s attention back in 1970, Cost might never have attended JU. When he returned to Jacksonville University in 2013, he set out to create an exceptional experience for the university’s student-athletes. Most people would start with the obvious: winning more games. Not Tim Cost.
“We determined that we were going to focus on academics – how the student-athletes were doing in the classroom,” said Alex Ricker-Gilbert, who has served as Athletic Director at JU since 2016. “At the end of the day, we might have great success athletically, but we’ve got to hang our hats on the educational experience first and build from there.”
Initial investments focused on hiring more academic advisors and learning specialists dedicated to supporting student-athletes. The department created a new dedicated study space, invested in new computers, and developed a better check-in system for student-athlete study halls. They put more focus and intention around leadership development, mentorship, and character building, creating a list of core values that every student-athlete, coach and staff member would embody.
“Twenty-five percent of our undergraduate population are student-athletes,” said Ricker-Gilbert. “It’s going to be really hard to run a university if your biggest group of students isn’t focused on achieving academically.”
The strategy worked. JU student athletes are among the highest performing students academically at the University and within their athletic conferences. They also persist and graduate at higher levels than other student groups. With big wins in the classroom, came big wins in competitive play – conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances, and victories over Top Ten teams like Duke University in men’s lacrosse and University of Florida in baseball.
Good for the Gander
With a solid foundation in place, one key question drove further investment in JU Athletics: how can we impact the overall experience for the greatest number of student-athletes? Targeted facility upgrades became game changers. The Rock Lacrosse Center. The Basketball Performance Center. A major renovation of the Field House.
More than facilities, these projects created places for student-athletes to connect with their teammates and build a stronger sense of community that is so important in athletics. Moreover, by strategically directing investment to the greatest needs in certain programs, the University improved the experience for student-athletes in other programs. Building a new weight room in the Basketball Performance Center eased the burden on the Field House, creating more capacity for all teams to share training facilities more easily. Athletics also invested in holistic support resources, offering weekly nutrient-packed dinners for teams and healthy food options after every weightlifting session for student-athletes.
The department also hired an athletics-dedicated mental health counselor and is one of only two universities in the ASUN conference to do so. “All of those things, plus the academic support, has really been driven by the President’s approach to impacting the greatest number of student-athletes we can,” said Ricker-Gilbert.
And the number of JU student-athletes is growing, now reaching more than 500, with some programs recruiting 30-40% more students for their teams. With more student-athletes comes more investment in the resources that support them. “We have more coaches, more academic advisors, more athletic trainers, more strength and conditioning coaches. We have as many trainers now as we did when we played football,” said Ricker-Gilbert.
ALL ABOUT people
While upgraded facilities add value to the student-athlete experience, President Cost has mainly focused on investing in people – people who share JU’s values and believe in its mission.
That idea resonates with Hannah Gleichenhaus '18, who played lacrosse for JU from 2014 to 2017. When she first visited campus, she remembers the campus feeling like a tight-knit family. “It was the people that made it so special,” said Gleichenhaus, who now works as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration and Senior Woman Administrator at JU. “Almost 10 years later, it’s still people that keep me here.”
As a young lacrosse player, Gleichenhaus remembers President Cost being “present” with students and employees. “He knew my name,” she said. “I really felt like he was invested and that this wasn’t just a job for him.” Her senior year, Gleichenhaus took the initiative to organize a guest speaker series for lacrosse players. “I invited President Cost and I remember thinking it was such a big deal that he showed up. I remember thinking ‘wow, he’s invested in what we’re doing as student-athletes," she said.
Ricker-Gilbert is another example of how President Cost moved the right people in the right roles. In 2016, he was the youngest person to become Athletic Director for a Division I Athletics program. While he had a lot to learn, he had a devoted mentor backing him up.
“Without a doubt the President has been my biggest mentor and ally in this,” Ricker-Gilbert said. “He’s been an incredible advisor, asking really smart questions and helping me see something from a different perspective. He has always believed in me and given me confidence. What the President has shown me is how important it is to be present. That is just so important in any culture – for people to show up and be there for each other. I don’t think there’s a more supportive and present president in the country,” Ricker-Gilbert said. “He cares about us. He’s intentional about making time for everyone. That is a lesson that I’ve learned and what I try to do every day. If you can’t figure out what to do, show up.”
