Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne
Spend any length of time around Jacksonville University and you'll likely see and hear about Dr. Kinne. For 62 years, Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne selflessly invested her time, talent, and treasure to enrich Jacksonville University. She was widely considered its matriarch.
Dr. Kinne came to Jacksonville University as Assistant Professor of Humanities in 1958 for a one-month teaching assignment and never left. Jacksonville University honors her legacy by continuing to put students first.
"The only reason we are here is because of the students," Dr. Kinne remarked during her 96th birthday celebration.
Fran Kinne's name is synonymous with generosity and civic support. Her career as an educator and civic leader crossed international boundaries; she was a pioneer and remains a source of inspiration for a whole generation of female leaders and philanthropists. The list of education, healthcare, leadership and non-profit organizations she has served is lengthy. Jacksonville University is humbled to be on that list.
As founder and former dean of the Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts, Dr. Kinne helped create the Friends of the Fine Arts, a group dedicated to the ongoing success of the Stein College. The Fran Kinne Endowment for the Fine Arts was soon established and this forward-thinking move continues to generate income that enables the Stein College to bring in artists in the areas of music, arts, theatre and dance. This benefits students, faculty and the entire Jacksonville community.
In addition to her leadership, Dr. Kinne's hand of generosity is legendary: Jacksonville University's student center (Frances Bartlett Kinne University Center) bears the Kinne name due to her charitable endeavors, as do the Kinne Garden at Wilma's Little People School, Frances Bartlett Kinne Welcome Gallery in the University's Frisch Welcome Center, the Frances Bartlett Kinne Auditorium at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, the North Wing of the Bertha Bartlett Public Library in Story City, Iowa, and the Frances Bartlett Kinne Alumni & Development Center at Drake University.
Dr. Kinne enjoyed continued relationships with countless Jacksonville University graduates. Her heart was with our students. To ensure that Jacksonville University would have her ongoing assistance, through her estate, she made plans to leave a legacy. With a simple provision in her estate plan, Dr. Kinne knew that she would forever be a part of the great things happening at Jacksonville University.
