| 15th President of | |
| Term Start: | February 14, 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Richard Myers |
| Birth Name: | Richard Howard Linton |
| Birth Place: | New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education: | Virginia Tech (BA, MA, PhD) |
| Spouse: | Sally Jane Peart (m. 2000) |
| Website: | President Richard Linton |
Richard Howard Linton (born 1964) is an American academic and the 15th president of Kansas State University.
Linton was born in New Jersey to Howard Richard Linton and Doris Helen Linton (nee Tuckwood). His father held a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and worked 35 years for DuPont where he developed several patents.
Linton was a professor of food science at Purdue University (1994–2011). From 2011 to 2012, he was the department chair of food science and technology at Ohio State University. In 2012, he became dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science at North Carolina State University, a position he held for 10 years.[1] The Kansas Board of Regents selected Linton to be the 15th president of Kansas State University on December 2, 2021.[2]
In addition to his role at Kansas State University, Linton serves as a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Science Advisory Board. He also serves as the chair for the Binational (Israel and United States) Agricultural Research and Development Fund, a role to which he was appointed in 2018 by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.
On February 14, 2022, Linton began his service as the President of Kansas State University.
In August 2023, Linton announced to the university community that he had been diagnosed with throat and tongue cancer.[3] He subsequently received daily treatments from the University of Kansas Cancer Center. During his absence, Marshall Stewart, senior vice president and chief of staff, represented and collaborated with him on the university's decision-making activities and represented him at university events. On October 13, 2023, Linton's cancer treatments were completed and he returned to his campus residence, saying, "I am planning to conduct much of my work from the Pres Res as I regain my strength."[4]