Wildcat women reflect on how K-State prepared them for careers in higher education
Education is often called the great equalizer. As a land-grant institution Kansas State University was founded with the idea of creating equal access to education to improve the quality of life for all. In fact, K-State’s first class had 26 men and 26 women, which at the time was not the norm.
K-State’s legacy of making space has led to plenty of women going on to leadership roles. To celebrate Women's History Month, At K-State visited with several K-Staters whose careers in higher education have led them to success.
Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, president and CEO, K-State Alumni Association
Amy Button Renz’ career at K-State spans more than 45 years, 29 of which she served as the president and CEO of the K-State Alumni Association.
Renz started her work with the Alumni Association in student and alumni programming. Her efforts saw the Alumni Association take over the management of Homecoming and the creation of Student Alumni Board. In the late ’80s, Larry Wiegel ’68, ’69 – then the alumni director – asked her to take on membership programming and managing the annual fund, Tradition Founders. Through her leadership, Renz was able to establish a membership program which saw tremendous growth, ultimately culminating in the K-State Alumni Association being No. 1 in the Big 12 for percentage of graduates who are members of their alumni association – an honor K-State has attained for more than 20 of the last 25 years.
Renz was named president and CEO in 1994, becoming the first female alumni director in the Big Eight and later the Big 12 conference.
Renz recalls looking to Beth Unger as a role model and a mentor. Unger served as the university's vice provost for academic services and technology and dean of continuing education from 1994 to 2007.
“I remember her being so supportive of me early in my career,” Renz said. “And she really was a trailblazer. She was basically one of the only female administrators of our time back in the ’70s and ’80s.”
In January, Renz announced her plans to retire at the end of June.
Margaret Sughrue Carlson Citron ’65, ’66, CEO emeritus, University of Minnesota Alumni Association
In 1985, Margaret Sughrue Carlson Citron was selected to serve as the first female to lead the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA). She was also the first female alumni director in the Big 10 Conference. She served as president and CEO of the UMAA for 25 years. Prior to that, she served as an extension agent, assistant to the dean of the College of Home Economics, founding member of the Goldstein Gallery, and president of the Minnesota Home Economics Association.
Citron cites her mother as a primary role model for her own success.
“My mother, Kathryn Peterman Sughrue ’36, always looked forward – almost never backward,” Citron said. “She didn't try to perfect, but she always got the job done. She didn't look for excuses; they weren't a part of her rhetoric. She didn't see herself as a victim, even when it might have been the case. She saw the next mountain when others saw clouds in the distance. She was my role model and taught me to dare to dream, to dare to be different, and dare to believe the impossible is possible. I’ve passed these leadership lessons to other women and men whom I’ve mentored through the years.”
Through Citron’s generosity the K-State Alumni Association offers the Sughrue Leadership Scholarship to students from Garden City and Dodge City. Citron said she hopes to inspire the scholarship recipients to dare to dream, dare to be different and to dare to believe the impossible is possible.
Ann Caine ’79, ’81, president, Oklahoma State University Alumni Association
Last year, Ann Caine became the 16th president of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association. She has spent her career in education, including serving as the Stillwater Public Schools superintendent for seven years.
Caine credits K-State with giving her a strong foundation for her career and great role models look to for guidance.
“Earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at K-State was such a positive experience,” Caine said. “Reflecting on people who had a major impact on me, there is one name that I will never forget, and that’s Dr. Mary Kay Zabel. My master’s was in special education with a certification in emotionally disturbed and learning disabled. I was already teaching emotionally disturbed students in Junction City (right after finishing undergrad work at K-State) when I started working on my master’s degree. Mary Kay had taught in the same field as me, which I realized later how lucky I was to have had both Mary Kay and her husband Bob as professors. Mary Kay had a huge heart, a strong passion, and desire to serve emotionally disturbed students. She was able to share that passion with us, while guiding us on the best practices for working with this unique population. Her calm demeanor was a wonderful ‘life lesson’ for me, especially when I left teaching to become a principal and then superintendent.
"Now that I’ve left public education and become the president of the OSU Alumni Association in Stillwater, Oklahoma, I am so grateful to those who have gone before me. Amy Button Renz has truly paved the way for new alumni association leaders such as myself. She has shown everyone that women can do this job with grace, calmness and a willingness to serve others. I actually used her name and her leadership success when I interviewed for my current position and that I hope to earn that level of respect. I do not know how many women are in our positions across the nation. I do know, though, that Amy has served our peers on a national level and is highly respected. We are going to miss her leadership but wish her well."
Wendy Wintersteen ’78, president, Iowa State University
Wendy Wintersteen became the 16th president of Iowa State University in 2017. Wintersteen has served Iowa State for more than 40 years in several capacities and is the first woman to serve as its president.
Last year K-State President Richard Linton told K-Stater magazine Wintersteen was among his mentors. He and Wintersteen worked on an international board together.
Under her leadership, Iowa State has established national prominence in innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education – ranked No. 11 out of 300 public and private universities by the prestigious Princeton Review three years in a row.
Wintersteen said K-State helped prepare her for a career in higher education.
"As a 1978 female graduate in the College of Agriculture, K-State gave me the opportunity to learn about pest management research first hand, and envision myself as a future scientist,” Wintersteen said. “K-State opened doors to possibilities. For that, I am profoundly grateful."