Student Athlete Spotlight: Robert Cunitz

Viterbo University’s core values of contemplation, hospitality, integrity, stewardship and service are the pillars of the institution intended to help drive students and staff in their life journeys. These values are seen all around the campus each and every day on all levels. From President Rick Trietley, to new freshmen wandering the walls of Bonaventure, these values are present and have become the culture of the university.  

 This culture didn’t happen randomly or by accident. Instead, it happened because of the leaders that help guide everybody else in that direction. Whether it is a coach, a professor, or other students, there are countless leaders responsible for the creation of this culture.  

One of those leaders is student-athlete Robert Cunitz who recently graduated from Viterbo last year, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic remained eligible to play basketball for a fifth straight year. This extra year of eligibility has allowed for him to join Viterbo’s 4+1 MBA program to build upon his major in Sports Management and his minor in Marketing while also continuing to play basketball.  

Based on past success, continuing with school and basketball was an easy choice  

Despite the focused on his studies and excel as a student. Cunitz is a four-time NSAA Scholar Athlete recipient, which requires that students maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and graduated with an impressive 3.917 cumulative grade point average.  

When asked about his personal achievements, Cunitz said “I have been really lucky to be in the position I am today. Basketball has created a pathway for me to grow as a person and experience things I will never forget with teammates and classmates that I will be friends with forever. The accolades are something I am proud of, but they wouldn’t be possible without all of my teammates, coaches, and even professors. For that reason, they hold less value to me than the experience of it all. Someday I’ll forget about the stats and all of the numbers, but I’ll never forget the memories I’ve created and the impact others have had on me, and that I have hopefully had on them as well.”  

Cunitz is just one example of the leaders that have helped to shape the culture at Viterbo. The core values are the pillars of the institution, but they are consistently brought to life through leaders like Robert Cunitz. He has had a very successful academic and athletic career, but Cunitz finds true value in the experience, and is using his years of experience to be a student-leader for his classmates and teammates.