Investing to
Accelerate Progress
This past academic year, Jacksonville University
received an historic gift from two familiar faces:
Linda Berry Stein (BA Fine Arts, ’69) and her
husband David announced a multi-year, multi-
million-dollar gift to the College of Fine Arts.
The Steins, who have long supported excellence
at JU through their “Steiners” endowed
scholarship program, invested in arts education
in honor of Linda’s own experience in the
College of Fine Arts.
From left to right: President Tim Cost ’81 and his wife
First Lady Stephanie Cost, Linda Berry Stein ’69 and
her husband David Stein, and Dean Tim Snyder
“I came to JU as a young woman looking to
build my future. My mother and father believed
in a strong education and always supported
my passions,” said Linda Berry Stein. “I earned
scholarships, worked hard, studied, pursued a
music degree and made lifelong friends here.
To have this opportunity to reinvest in my alma
mater, my home away from home, and our
talented students fills my heart. It is a joy for
David and me to make this commitment to a
place that means so much to us.”
In addition to naming the college, the Steins’
historic investment creates the Stein Artist
Scholars Endowment, endowing “Steiner” student
scholarships in perpetuity, as well as funding the
renovation of the on-campus Phillips Fine Arts
Building and the naming of the Stein Family
Lobby, establishment of an outdoor study and
creative collaboration plaza adjacent to the arts
complex, and formation of the Linda Berry Stein
Fine Arts Student of the Year award.
“Thanks to Linda and David’s generosity
through this transformational gift, we are
planning for a sustainable future that allows
our students to capitalize on cutting-edge
opportunities that reflect the changing arts
economy,” said Dr. Tim Snyder, Dean of the
Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts.
As an alumna of the College of Fine Arts, Linda
Berry Stein is a 2017 Distinguished Alumni
Award honoree and a charter member of the
College of Fine Arts’ Advisory Board who chaired
the College’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
“Linda Berry Stein exemplifies the best of
our Jacksonville University graduates,” said
Chancellor Emerita Frances Bartlett Kinne. “I
always tell our students to go out and make
the world a better place, and the Steins have
taken that to heart, supporting young people in
so many parts of Jacksonville, and keeping the
University close to their hearts.”
F E AT U R E S
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