President Richard Linton

Dr. Richard H. Linton is the 15th president of Kansas State University, serving in the role since February 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology (1988), master’s degree in food science (1991) and Ph.D. in food science (1994), all from Virginia Tech University. Linton participated in the Food Systems Leadership Institute from 2009 to 2011 and completed the Harvard Graduate School’s Institutional Educational Management Program in 2018.

At Kansas State University, Linton has led the creation and implementation of Next-Gen K-State, a strategic plan that will guide the university through 2030 and beyond. This initiative has resulted in significant advancements in student recruitment and success, a remarkable increase in research funding, enhanced statewide engagement and economic development, improvements in research and teaching facilities, record-breaking fundraising and competitive achievements in athletics. This new university strategy has increased undergraduate and graduate student numbers to over 20,000, enhanced competitive research by more than 20%, brought in nearly $700 million through philanthropy, and led to over $150 million in state and federal support. Key universitywide initiatives created by the plan include a statewide economic growth plan called K-State 105, and interdisciplinary efforts, including in biomanufacturing and biosciences, digital agriculture and advanced analytics, and water.

Before joining Kansas State University, Linton served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University (2012-2022), department chair of food science and technology at The Ohio State University (2011-2012) and a faculty member in the Department of Food Science at Purdue University (1994-2011). At Purdue, Linton was the founding director of the Center for Food Safety Engineering and the associate director of agricultural research programs.

As dean at NC State, Linton led a college of over 300 faculty, 3,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students. Under his direction, the college developed a strategic plan focused on enhancing people, programs and partnerships. Collaboration with industry and government were critical to the mission of the college, and Linton’s dedication was demonstrated through the NC Plant Sciences Initiative and the NC Food Processing and Manufacturing Initiative, both aimed at job creation and addressing global agricultural challenges. Under his leadership, competitive research for the college reached $100 million annually, and the college raised $482 million during the NC State Capital Campaign.

Linton has held several key leadership roles, including membership on the Food and Drug Administration’s Science Advisory Board and serving as chair for the Binational (Israel/U.S.) Agricultural Research and Development Fund, a position he was appointed to by the U.S. secretary of agriculture in 2018. He also previously chaired the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People Steering Committee and the NC Governor's Task Force on Food Manufacturing.

President Linton and his wife, Sally, an ADHD/executive function life coach, have two children: a daughter, Lily, and a son, Chris.