Issue: Spring 2017 | Posted: June 1, 2017
Reneé Jones
G.M. Savage Legacy Award
Given to a faculty or staff member for their ongoing commitment to Christ-centered education at Union University.
From a first generational college student to the director of Union University’s Hundley Center, Reneé Jones exemplifies a commitment to excellence that began in her childhood.
“I grew up in a single-parent home with a mother who allowed for no excuses and set high standards,” Jones says. “When you are surrounded by high expectations, you tend to rise to the occasion. And being at Union has afforded me some amazing opportunities to achieve goals I didn’t even know were there yet.”
Although Jones received her bachelor’s and graduate degree from Union, she originally planned to attend the University of Tennessee. After a presentation on chemical reactions in which she compared smiling to a chemical reaction, former Union University President David S. Dockery approached her. His confidence she would attend Union for her bachelor’s became the first time Jones heard about the university.
“I wanted to further my education at a challenging institution,” Jones says. “I was blessed that it was Christ-centered too, and I have thrived ever since.”
Thriving meant accepting a part-time secretary position under the mentorship of Jacqueline Taylor in Career Services as an undergraduate.
“I got the position with no intention to remain, and here we are after promotions and growth and training,” Jones says. “Dr. Taylor became my mentor. She challenged me, and it is important to challenge people and to ultimately glorify Christ.”
From part-time secretary to associate director of the Vocatio Center, Jones spent 14 years “counseling, networking, training and developing students.”
“If you’re intentional about reaching minds and souls and helping people to identity their gifts and develop and cultivate them, there’s a reward every day,” Jones says.
The transition from Vocatio Center associate director to director of the Hundley Center was like “coming full circle on the spectrum” for Jones, moving from career guidance to academic preparation.
“Here in the Hundley, we’re working with the best and the brightest in a ministry position, and we’re serving all of the student body while supporting the work of faculty,” Jones says.
Jones has seen the Hundley Center through four locations and from a stigmatized service on campus to one wearing the motto of “Smart people start here.” The average GPA of a student visiting the Hundley Center is a 3.0, Jones says.
“There is a hub of partnerships between our center, our faculty and our students,” Jones says. “And this partnership is predicated on the thought that we are excellence-driven.”
For Jones, the same excellence instilled in her by her mother is also in her vision for the Hundley Center, creating within it a place of belonging for all students.
