Jacksonville University announced the formation of the Cost Honors College with plans to formally launch in 2025. The naming of the Cost Honors College, endorsed by the University’s 26-member Board of Trustees, recognizes President Tim Cost and First Lady Stephanie Cost for their transformational philanthropic support of the University, which now totals $10 million.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are grateful and thank Tim and Stephanie for their incredible generosity and unwavering support of our students and the entire university,” said Chairman of the Board, Matt Kane. “The Cost family is one of the University’s most generous, who consistently give their time, resources, talents, and voices to benefit our students, faculty, and staff dating back to the 1980s.”

The Costs’ catalytic gift enables the University to elevate its honors program and transition to become an honors college. The Cost Honors College will focus on three pillars – academic excellence, thriving residential life, and engaged global citizenry. The gift also supports initiatives and projects that enhance the university's overall academic and campus experience for its 4,000 students.

“Tim and I believe in the impact that a high-quality, challenging education can have on a student’s life and their trajectory,” said Stephanie Cost, Jacksonville University First Lady. “Our lives bear witness to the critical importance of education as students ourselves, as parents of two children who graduated from excellent universities, and now having observed and influenced the life paths of thousands of students over the past decade. We’re gratified to make this investment in the Honors College that will benefit today’s students and future generations.”

Jacksonville University’s Honors Program has been offered to undergraduate students for more than three decades. Today, there are 220 students in the honors program at the University, with plans now in place to fully transition to an Honors College. All students already enrolled in the Honors Program will become members of the Cost Honors College. The first cohort will graduate in Spring 2026.