Muhlenberg Receives $1M Gift to Establish Endowed Professorship in Psychology
The gift from Ronald F. Levant, Ed.D. GP’09 will be matched by $1 million from the estate of Edward ’42 and Lois Robertson to sustain faculty in psychology in perpetuity.Thursday, September 18, 2025 04:15 PM
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The inaugural Dr. Ronald F. Levant Endowed Professor in Psychology Kate Richmond ’00. Photo by Kristi Morris/Littlewing PhotographyMuhlenberg has received a $1 million gift to establish the Dr. Ronald F. Levant Endowed Professorship in Psychology, with preference given to faculty doing scholarship on the psychology of men and masculinities from a feminist perspective.
Levant is a world-renowned psychologist who studies men and masculinity. He is a professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Akron; former president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of APA Division 51, the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities; and two-term editor of APA Division 51’s quarterly journal, Psychology of Men & Masculinities. He received an honorary degree from Muhlenberg in 2010, and his grandson, Adrian Shanker, graduated from the college in 2009. He holds an Ed.D. in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University.
“Dr. Levant’s generous gift is a testament to the transformational power of philanthropy. It will support the rigorous academics, close faculty mentorship, and in-depth undergraduate research that characterize a Muhlenberg education, and it will do it in perpetuity,” says President Kathleen Harring. “I am so grateful that he has chosen to endow a professorship here at Muhlenberg.”
The inaugural Dr. Ronald F. Levant Endowed Professor in Psychology will be Kate Richmond ’00. Richmond, who joined the Muhlenberg faculty in 2006, teaches courses at the intersections of psychology, women’s and gender studies, mental health, and social justice. She launched Muhlenberg’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which brings together Muhlenberg students and incarcerated students for sustained educational conversations. She is the co-author of the textbook “Psychology of Women & Gender” and has won awards from the Association for Women in Psychology and the American Psychological Association. At Muhlenberg, she has been the recipient of the Class of ’32 Research Grant and the Paul C. Empie Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching. She earned her Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University.
Levant is delighted by the college’s selection. “She’s clearly a leader in the psychological study of gender, and she’s studied both masculinity and femininity and also diverse gender identities,” he says. “I’m sure she will use the [professorship] wisely and promote the mission that we both believe in, which is gender equality.”
The Faculty Excellence Matching Challenge, which is funded by an $8 million distribution from the estate of Edward ’42 and Lois Robertson, was established to support the most recent campaign’s goal of endowing 10 new professorships. Each $1 million gift toward a professorship is matched with $1 million from the estate. Other endowed professorships established through this challenge include professorships in political philosophy and accounting, business, economics, and finance.
