Professor James “Jim” Cosgrove `97 earned an undergraduate degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Culver-Stockton College. His first position out of law school was teaching at Illinois State University. After that, Cosgrove practiced law in Illinois for ten years before he decided to pursue a full-time career in higher education. He joined the faculty at Culver-Stockton College, a job he only intended to hold for the length of his three-year contract. Professor Cosgrove found his ‘home’ at Culver-Stockton College and taught accounting and business law to generations of Wildcat students for 39 years until his retirement in 2021.
During his time on “the Hill,” he served as an advisor for the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity for 25 years and led a Bible study group for students. In 2021, five of Mr. Cosgrove’s former students (Joe Leake, Larry Loethen, Tim Fischer, Greg Logsdon, and Jason Stratton) joined forces to create the Jim Cosgrove Endowed Scholarship in recognition of his faithful service to Culver-Stockton College and the impact he had on their lives. This scholarship is awarded on an annual basis to a deserving Culver-Stockton College student.
Cosgrove has traveled both personally and professionally, taking Alaskan cruises with his family and journeying to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Netherlands with Professor Dan Mahoney’s class during his time on “the Hill.” He enjoys attending his grandchildren’s school and athletic events, working in his yard, and walking the bridge across the Mississippi River, which spans from Hamilton, Ill., to Keokuk, Iowa. Cosgrove and his wife, Linda, live in Hamilton, Ill., and have two daughters and two sons.
