The Kansas State University College of Arts and Sciences announces 2021 recipients of the Alumni Merit and Young Alumni awards. This year's award recipients are Donte Bernard, Travis Cloer, and Geraldine Richmond.
The Young Alumni Award is given to alumni who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their communities in the early part of their careers. Other areas of consideration include humanitarian and direct service to society.
Bernard, a 2013 KSU psychology grad, and is now an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Treatment and Research Center. He earned a doctorate in clinical psychology — child and family — from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019.
As an undergraduate at K-State, Bernard was a McNair Scholar mentored by Don Saucier, and was awarded a Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2013. He was the first author on a presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Bernard, McManus, & Saucier, 2013, "Making mountains out of molehills: Opportunities for justification in an emergency interracial helping situation"). Bernard is a prolific researcher and sought-after speaker in the area of psychological and behavioral consequences of racism-related stress and trauma among Black adolescents and emerging adults.
The Arts and Sciences Alumni Merit Award is given to those who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and received national or international recognition in the areas of distinguished service, discovery, public engagement, arts and humanities, and entrepreneurship.
Cloer graduated K-State in 1994 and is an professional actor and singer, having played Frankie Valli in the Tony and Grammy-winning musical "Jersey Boys" longer than any other actor in Broadway and Las Vegas.
He has recorded three solo CDs, containing original songs he wrote, and a Christmas album with cast members from "Jersey Boys." He is a frequent musical performer throughout Las Vegas in venues such as the Italian American Club, Myron's Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Tuscany Suites and Casino, and The Space. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Abilene and Las Vegas Philharmonics and has made solo appearances at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington, and with Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Richmond is the presidential chair in science/professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, and earned her undergrad in chemistry from KSU in 1975. She is an elected member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Women in Science. She is currently a member of the National Science Board, appointed by President Barack Obama.
In 2018 Richmond was awarded the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society - the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society. In 2013 she was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Obama. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kansas State University. Her complete letter of nominations details many more contributions she has made to the scientific field.