Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors appointed Richard Linton as the university’s 17th president on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to an announcement from Virginia Tech. Linton, a Virginia Tech alumnus and the current president of Kansas State University, is expected to take office at the beginning of the 2027 spring semester, the announcement said.
Tim Sands will continue as president until Linton assumes office, according to Virginia Tech. Linton earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1988, a master’s degree in food science in 1991 and a Ph.D. in food science in 1994, the university said.
Linton became president of Kansas State in 2022, Virginia Tech said. Before that, he served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University from 2012 to 2022, and held positions at Ohio State University and Purdue University, according to the announcement.
Virginia Tech said Linton’s wife, Sally, will join the university as ambassador and first lady.