Endowed Chairs

CSX Chair in Management and Accounting

Current Holder (pictured)
Tom Cosse (2003-2009 )

Former Holders:
Robert M. Schmidt (1997-2003)
Joe Ben Hoyle (1991-1997)
D. Neil Ashworth (1984-1991)

The CSX Corporation, formed in 1980 by the merger of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coastline Industries, has long recognized the role of a strong educational system in the growth and quality of life in our country.

In 1983, CSX demonstrated its support of the University of Richmond with a gift to the University to establish the CSX Chair in Management and Accounting.

About the Chairholder

A native of New Orleans, Tom Cosse came to the University of Richmond from the University of Arkansas in 1975. At that time he became the 15th member of the School of Business faculty. Since then he has served in a number of positions in the school -- the first chair of the marketing department (1977-1981), associate dean and director of the MBA program (1983-1990), and currently he is associate dean for international business programs. Tom earned his BSBA from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana Lafayette) and his MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. He was an American Marketing Associations Doctoral Consortium Fellow (1974) and he has been a visiting professor at the University of Bath, England, and at IFI Groupe ESC Rouen, France.

Early in his career, his academic interest was in the area of marketing strategy, but later shifted to the application of marketing concepts to public policy issues, most notably human organ donation. At this time his interests lie in the area of international business. Articles authored or coauthored by Tom have been published in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Business Horizons, and Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. In 1998 he was co-recipient of the Society for Marketing Advances' Stephen J. Shaw Award. He has also received the Robins School Outstanding Teaching Award (1993) and the Outstanding Scholarly Activity Award (1998). Three of his MBA student teams have received the Governor's Award for Excellence for projects they completed for Virginia companies through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership International Marketing Program.

Prior to earning his undergraduate degree, he was in the U.S. Army where he served with the 7th Special Forces Group and the 1st Air Cavalry. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement while in Vietnam. He and his wife, Connie (GB 79), have two children, Alexis (WC 93) and Jean-Paul.