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You are here: UMW / University Relations / News / Top Stories / Alumna Propels UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Past $1 Million Mark

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

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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.

Renee Kuntz '85 (center, chatting with friends at Reunion Weekend in 2022) recently made a pledge that helped UMW's Beyond the Classroom Endowment pass the $1 million mark to help Mary Washington students engage in high-impact learning experiences like study abroad, internships and undergraduate research. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
Renee Kuntz ’85 (center, chatting with friends at Reunion Weekend in 2022) recently made a pledge that helped UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment pass the $1 million mark to help Mary Washington students engage in high-impact learning experiences like study abroad, internships and undergraduate research. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

“He encouraged me not to stay in one position,” said Kuntz, 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), Kuntz 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.”

Read more at Giving.umw.edu.

 

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.