Tim Cost was 19 and a JU student-athlete when another leader ascended to the office
he now holds. Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne was the first female university president
in Florida, and her history with Cost is one he still treasures.
“I remember pitching ballgames and having her there, and I recall going to receptions on campus where she was speaking. She would walk in and go directly to those serving. Before talking to those ‘most important people’ in the room, she expressed her gratitude to those working behind the scenes,” President Cost recalled.
Cost couldn’t have known at the time that one day his footsteps would follow hers, but he was aware, nonetheless, that something special was happening. “You could sense it, as often happens when an organization is truly coming into its own. I knew something exciting was underway.”
After graduating, Cost’s business career over 32 years spanned some of the biggest names in corporate America, concluding with PepsiCo. His career path coincided with some of the most renowned CEOs in the world, but when Jacksonville University’s Board of Trustees was considering its list of potential presidential candidates, it was Kinne’s counsel he sought. “She was clear, full of insight. She grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘Oh, you have to do this. You can help."
When Cost returned to JU, Kinne was Chancellor Emerita, and they had become colleagues and close friends. He frequently introduced her as the embodiment of school culture. He admired her fierce optimism, and he ultimately deciphered a key ingredient in the recipe for her success – Frances Bartlett Kinne was most interested in Y-O-U.
“Fran was never working her own agenda,” Cost said. “It was disarming when you realized what she really wanted to talk to you about as a young person, as a female leader, as a business executive – whatever it is – is YOU. I’ve never heard anybody say as frequently as she did, ‘You have something unique to offer.'"
As president of Jacksonville University, Cost has served as the trusted custodian of a culture perpetuated by the kindred spirit he found in Dr. Kinne. He credits her with setting the University on the path to becoming the premier institution it is today. He champions her memory as a master mentor who encouraged so many. He honors her legacy in his own leadership style.
“Fran serves as a remarkable inspiration to us all of the transformative power of passion, optimism and service. We are all – students, faculty and presidents alike – called to meet the promise of the high bar she set for us.”
