President

We are pleased to announce that Virginia Tech has appointed Richard Linton as its 17th president, effective January 2027. A three-time Virginia Tech alumnus, Linton will succeed Tim Sands, who announced his intention to step down in April 2026.

Linton joins Virginia Tech from Kansas State University, where he has served as president since 2022. During his tenure, he led the creation and implementation of a strategic plan that grew research expenditures by 30 percent and increased enrollment and unveiled a campus development plan of more than $40 million.

Previously, Linton served for a decade as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. Earlier, he was chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Ohio State University and spent 17 years at Purdue University, where he was a professor in the Department of Food Science and founding director of the Center for Food Safety Engineering.

He earned all three of his degrees from Virginia Tech: a bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s and doctoral degrees in food science. His appointment marks a return to the institution where his academic career began and makes him the third Virginia Tech president who is also an alumnus of the university.

Read the full press release here.

Greg Esposito and Julie Filizetti led this search with Kristen Andersen, Raul Bernal, Victoria Castillo, and Gabrielle Nayar.