PULLMAN, Wash. – Daniel J. Bernardo, interim president of Washington State University, was honored Wednesday with the WSU Alumni Association’s highest award – the Alumni Achievement Award – in recognition of his leadership as interim president, provost and dean.
“Dan is a Coug through and through. He took immediate, brave and decisive action at a very difficult time in the university’s history and led WSU with great skill and dedication,” said Tim Pavish, executive director of the WSU Alumni Association.
Bernardo, who was appointed following the death of President Elson S. Floyd, has led the university’s continuing progress on key WSU initiatives such as the new College of Medicine, research Grand Challenges and student success.
As provost and executive vice president at WSU, he led the institutional strategic planning process. As dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS), he focused on rebuilding relationships with the agricultural industry and other stakeholders statewide.
This resulted in the college raising more than $220 million toward its campaign goal, nearly doubling extramural funding and increasing undergraduate and graduate enrollments. He was instrumental in starting CAHNRS programs in viticulture and enology, precision and automated agricultural systems and the Agricultural Weather Network.
Bernardo has served WSU on the University Council, Enrollment Management Council and Athletics Council. He has served the state of Washington on the boards of the Foundation for Early Learning, William D. Ruckelshaus Center and Department of Natural Resources.
He earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from WSU in 1985. He completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis.
The WSUAA Alumni Achievement Award was created in 1970 by the WSUAA Board of Directors to recognize alumni who have given outstanding service to WSU and made contributions to their professions and communities. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Association. Of an estimated 250,000 students who have attended WSU, Bernardo is the 525th Alumni Achievement Award recipient.
Contact:
Christina Parrish, WSU alumni engagement, 509-335-6907, parrishc@wsu.edu
