Alumna Propels UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment Past $1 Million Mark

Renee Kuntz ’85 can still remember the advice that Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jack Kramer gave her before she graduated from Mary Washington with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and a focus in Russian studies.

“He encouraged me not to stay in one position,” said Renee, who spent nearly four decades rotating through various roles in the National Security Agency, putting her foreign policy background and language skills to work to protect American intelligence. “Mary Washington was truly foundational for my life and career.”

A dedicated donor to UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment (BtC), Renee wants current and future students at the University of Mary Washington to have access to experiential learning opportunities that will ensure success in their own careers. She recently made a pledge that pushed the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) initiative over the top in its quest to raise $1 million in gifts and pledges to help students pursue study abroad, internships, independent research, and travel to academic conferences.

“Accomplishing this milestone in just four years is simply amazing,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger, who established BtC after student research proposals climbed to twice the CAS budget to pay for them. “It means we will be able to support our students in perpetuity and can make an annual commitment to these learning experiences that can really change lives.”

More than 1,363 gifts have been made from 677 donors since BtC’s inception to help undergraduate students enhance their liberal arts and sciences education. Some examples include:

• Jay Boudreau ’23 studied treatments for antibiotic resistant “superbugs.”
• Madeline Killian ’23 conducted research on female scientists in 18th-century Spain while studying abroad in Madrid.
• Devin Thigpen ’23 participated in the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers and competed in the World Geography Bowl.
• Nathaniel Huff ’24 went on the UMW Theatre in London trip, where he attended 19 professional theatre productions in three weeks.
• Ariana Adamek ’25 traveled to Denmark and Greece to take a course titled “Tasting Culture: Nordic and Mediterranean Food, Tradition, and Nutrition.”
• James Rollison ’25 took “The Business of Football,” a course taught by UMW College of Business faculty in London.
• Grace Gower ’26 went on a faculty-led trip to Paris to study the urban and architectural history of the City of Lights.
• BtC helped 10 students complete professional internships in summer 2024.

Nathaniel Huff ’24 (center, green shirt and glasses) and his classmates visit Westminster Abbey during the UMW Theatre in London trip in summer 2023. Nathaniel was able to take the trip because he received the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship, which was awarded for the first time last year. Photo courtesy of UMW Theatre.

Ariana Adamek ’25 received the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship, which helped her study the food culture of Greece and Denmark (seen here in Denmark) last summer. Photo courtesy of Ariana Adamek/College of Arts and Sciences.

Madeline Killian ’23 received funds from UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment to travel to Madrid to conduct research on Spain’s first civic organization for women. Photo courtesy of Madeline Killian/College of Arts and Sciences.

James Rollison ’25 received the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship, which helped him take the UMW faculty-led course, ‘The Business of Football,” in London this summer. Photo courtesy of James Rollison/College of Arts and Sciences.

Dean Mellinger also acknowledged alumni and friends for their contributions, including CAS Advisory Board members Cathie Woteki ’69, Karen Laino Giannuzzi ’71, Mary Bradley MacPherson ’71, Beth Craig ’77, and Phyllis Quinn ’77, who all sponsored challenges in the last four years. Renee said it was “humbling” to be included in the company of these alumnae who achieved success despite overcoming the challenges women often face in their careers.

“When I first started out, I never thought I would financially be in a place where I could contribute in this way,” Renee said. She considers Karen Laino Giannuzzi an influential mentor during her career, which sent Renee to far-flung locales across the globe, including England, where she and her husband lived for several years.

Recently retired, Renee previously served as a member of UMW’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and currently leads the Baltimore Regional Alumni Network. A giving ambassador who has made gifts to her alma mater since she graduated, she’s also inspired by the generosity of her former professor.

Dr. Kramer said the same of Renee. Describing himself as a “stalwart supporter” of BtC, he has sponsored several challenges to encourage his UMW colleagues to donate to the initiative on Mary Wash Day.

“I’m delighted to learn that BtC will be able to carry on its critical work in furthering UMW’s educational mission,” said Dr. Kramer, who taught at Mary Washington for nearly five decades. “It’s especially gratifying that it was the contribution of Renee, one of my former students, who made this milestone possible.”

Learn more about Beyond the Classroom or make your gift. For information, please contact Jeremy Vaughn ’08 in the Office of University Advancement at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063. 

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04