Virginia Tech alumnus named as university’s new president

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors named Richard Linton, a three-time Hokie, as the university’s next president Wednesday.

Linton, 60, is currently the president of Kansas State University, a role he has served in since 2022. He is also a Virginia Tech alumnus who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree and doctorate in food science from the Blacksburg school. He’ll be the third president who is also a graduate of the school. 

The board voted unanimously to appoint Linton as the university’s 17th president during a special called meeting Wednesday, after a six-month search. 

“To stand here today, the opportunity to return to lead the university that gave me my start is incredibly meaningful,” Linton said during remarks following the board meeting. 

“Virginia Tech is one of the leading land-grant universities in the country with an extraordinary history, a strong foundation and growing impact. And I believe the opportunities ahead are even greater.”

Linton starts in January. He succeeds Tim Sands, who announced his intention to step down in April. 

“The transition is already underway, as of now,” Sands said during the board meeting. 

Sands will stay at Virginia Tech six months to a year as Linton moves into the role, he told Cardinal News following the announcement. 

Linton will step into his new role at a precarious time for higher education due to enrollment challenges, particularly in Virginia Tech’s graduate programs, as well as escalating federal pressure on higher education by the Trump administration.

The future of state and federal research funding could also impact the institution, which has sought to grow its research investment —– an effort Linton said he plans to continue.

“When people talk about the very best land-grant universities in the country, I want Virginia Tech to be at the top of that list. Achieving this will require full-time strategic investments, responsible stewardship, and using our resources with a shared commitment to excellence,” he said.

A full-circle moment: About Linton’s career

Economic and research priorities: What Linton will focus on

The search: How it worked

What’s next for Sands: What the current president will do after retirement

Reaction from political leaders across Virginia

A ‘full-circle moment’

Linton’s path to the university president’s office began in a food microbiology class in Blacksburg, he said during his 2022 inauguration ceremony at Kansas State University, the Kansas Reflector reported at the time. 

Longtime professor Merle Pierson “hooked him on the academics of food science after three lectures” and inspired Linton to create those kinds of “light-bulb moments” for others. Pierson, now a professor emeritus, was present at Wednesday’s event. 

Linton repeated the message Wednesday, when he placed on the lectern a large piece of Hokie Stone given to him after the construction of the Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building I in 2012. 

“Returning to Blacksburg as president of this incredible university, for me, is a full-circle moment,” Linton said. 

His own experience at Virginia Tech will give him a “leg up” in his new role, he told reporters Wednesday.

“I love this place already. It’s not going to take any time for me to love this place. I’ve loved this place for 42 years,” he said. “I’m just so incredibly honored and proud when you have an opportunity to be able to come to the place that gave you everything in your career. Leadership here for me is different.”

After earning his degrees from Virginia Tech, he was a professor in the department of food science at Purdue University from 1994 to 2011 and was the founding director of the school’s Center for Food Safety Engineering, according to his Kansas State biography. 

Following his time at Purdue, he was the department chair of food science and technology at Ohio State University before serving as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University from 2012 to 2022.

When taking office at Kansas State in 2022, Linton “vowed to make meaningful impact on communities across the state by holding to the university’s land-grant mission,” according to the Reflector — a sentiment and desire shared by many in the Virginia Tech community at listening sessions and in survey responses that were part of the presidential search this summer.

In Linton’s time at Kansas State, he led the creation and implementation of a strategic plan that grew research expenditures by 30% and increased the university’s enrollment, and unveiled a $40 million-plus campus development plan, according to a news release from Virginia Tech. 

The school’s Next-Gen K-State Strategic Enrollment Plan has aimed to increase enrollment and retention by 2030 through adding traditional degree-seeking students and others pursuing alternative or micro-credentials, as universities across the country grapple with declining enrollment and changes in how society feels about higher education. 

Since Linton took office, the school’s enrollment has inched up more than 7% despite tuition hikes and staff cuts, Linton announced last month, as reported by the Mercury, a Kansas news organization. Virginia Tech’s has grown just over 2% during the same time period.

Linton’s experience at four other land-grant institutions was one of the things that most impressed the board and search committee, Rector Jim Miller said in an interview Wednesday.

“The fact that he was a sitting president of a land-grant university — and was a triple Hokie — and had experience working all the way up through the food chain of academia to the top” factored into the board’s vote, Miller said. He also noted Linton’s “stage presence, knowledge of athletics, and experience with advancement.” 

For Hokie sports fans, Linton brings a unique experience from Kansas State, whose athletics department operates almost entirely without state funding or university tuition dollars, instead relying on alumni and booster support, according to the Kansas State University Foundation. 

This type of self-sufficiency is rare, especially among Division I athletics programs, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office in July.

Economic and research priorities

As president of a major state research university, Linton will be a key player in the state’s economy — and will have big shoes to fill. 

Sands, the outgoing president, has been lauded for his view of a university’s role in the economy and for his efforts to prioritize research and innovation and building industry partnerships.

Eddie Amos, the co-chair of the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council — which in May inducted Sands into its hall of fame — said by phone Wednesday that he is confident that Linton will also be a friend to the tech community.

“Let’s give him six months to find his sea legs, but I think he’ll be a good addition,” said Amos, a retired software executive who had previously been chairman of the state economic development initiative GO Virginia.

The search committee was wise to bring in someone with Linton’s fundraising acumen, Amos said.

“We’re going to have to hit on all cylinders to continue to make our tech community run, and it sounds like he’s got the pedigree to make it happen,” he said.

Heywood Fralin, whose family donated $50 million for the Roanoke facility now called Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, was previously unfamiliar with Linton, but said after reading about his credentials that he looks like a “really good fit.”

“He’s been associated with land-grant colleges his entire career. He’s a graduate of Virginia Tech, so he certainly knows the institution well,” Fralin said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Linton’s background in research fundraising and his exposure to the biomedical field will be assets for a university so focused on research, including the Roanoke-based institute, Fralin said.

The heads of two economic development organizations, the Roanoke Regional Partnership and Onward New River Valley, agreed that Virginia Tech plays a major role in growing the regional economy and workforce.

“I’ve worked a lot of projects in my career, and to be honest with you, I think the university has enhanced our competitiveness in one way or the other for all of them, whether it comes from the perspective of being an engine, a producer of talent or it comes from the perspective of research and its applicability to some of the industries that we have recruited,” John Hull, president and CEO of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, said in a phone interview.

As an example, Hull cited The Tiny Cargo Co., which is developing methods to deliver medicine in the human body using cell components from cows.

The company grew out of research from the Fralin research institute. Hull called it “a really direct example of how Virginia Tech research was commercialized and translated into a manufacturing project.”

He said that the institute itself was a factor in Ringana, an Austrian manufacturer of skin care products, choosing Roanoke for its U.S. distribution hub. The company announced in June that it will invest $85 million in the Star City and create 435 jobs.

As Linton steps into the job of president, Hull and Katie Boswell, executive director of Onward New River Valley, said they look forward to the university continuing its partnerships with regional groups.

Boswell noted in an email that Virginia Tech is part of the Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Tech Hub, which is led by the New River Valley Regional Commission and aims to create a global technology hub in the New River Valley, Southside Virginia, Roanoke and Lynchburg by bringing together businesses, educational institutions and other stakeholders.

The group has secured a $4.2 million grant to implement a 10-year roadmap and is awaiting news about its application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a $44 million grant, Boswell said.  

One of Onward New River Valley’s goals is to retain Virginia Tech graduates in the region, such as by participating in on-campus career fairs to teach them about regional companies, Boswell said in a phone interview.

Virginia Tech trains students “to be successful for jobs of tomorrow,” she said.

“Obviously we’re going through a lot of technological change as a country and the world right now, so being able to have young people in our region that are able to answer those questions and problems that we’re facing, I think will be a key part of it in the future,” Boswell said.

The search

The announcement of Linton’s hiring comes several weeks after the search committee tasked with finding Virginia Tech’s next president announced it would begin conducting interviews for the position, and six months after Sands said he would step down after almost a dozen years in the job.

Initially, some board members had advocated for naming a new president before the academic year began, with then-Rector John Rocovich — an appointee of then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican — pushing to make a hire before Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s appointees could join the board in July.

Spanberger removed Rocovich from the board in May, even after he named a 23-member presidential search committee that included her appointees. 

The board hired the Boston-based firm Isaacson, Miller to assist with the search. In May, the firm advised members of the committee that the search could take six to eight months.

But in July, Nancy Dye, the search committee chair and vice rector, emphasized the need to move quickly, hinting that potential candidates were being scooped up in other competitive searches. 

Marlena Lester, the Administrative Professional Faculty Senate president and representative on the board of visitors, said she and the 2,700 professional faculty members she represents were pleased with the search process.

“We had the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates and to provide our feedback to the board, knowing that at the end of the day, it would be the board’s decision,” Lester said in an interview Wednesday. “I can say I’m really pleased with the involvement we were able to have, but also just the amount of time that the search committee took in asking [for] stakeholder feedback.”

Lester was able to join interviews with all the finalists for the position, though she didn’t note how many finalists there were. 

Miller confirmed that the board made only one offer, and that was to Linton.

Several lawmakers who had expressed concerns about what they saw as Sands’ abrupt departure in April expressed their support Wednesday for Linton. 

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said that he is looking forward to working with the new president to make sure the university has the support it needs to thrive. 

“Virginia Tech will always play a critical role in the long-term success of Virginia’s students and overall economy,” Kaine said in an emailed statement provided by his office Wednesday. 

In April, Kaine said he was “deeply troubled” by Sands’ “sudden departure,” saying it had “the earmarks of previous well-publicized efforts to oust presidents at other Virginia public universities” such as Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia and George Mason University.

Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, whose district includes the research institute, said that he is glad to have a member of the Hokie community take the reins at Virginia Tech. 

He did have early concerns regarding the search for a new president, he said in a phone interview Wednesday.

“I was worried, given federal pressures and the political pressures on our institutions, that it was interfering with our ability to keep the best talent at our esteemed universities,” he said. He added that he felt comforted by the fact that Linton has experience in leading an institution of higher education. 

Spanberger also issued her congratulations to Linton and her “heartfelt gratitude” to Sands in a statement emailed by her office Wednesday. 

“Dr. Linton’s distinguished career in food science — driving agricultural innovation and combating food insecurity — and extensive experience in academic leadership reflect Virginia Tech’s longstanding commitment to cutting-edge research, service and real-world impact,” she said. 

“I look forward to working with Dr. Linton to make sure Virginia Tech receives the support it needs from the state as we focus on preparing students from across the commonwealth for lifelong success.”

What’s next for Sands?

Sands praised Linton, whom he said he’s known for more than 20 years.

“It has been an absolute privilege to serve Virginia Tech, and and one of my hopes and dreams was that my successor would be someone who could steward this institution forward, making perhaps different decisions than I would, as is healthy for an institution, but someone who really understands what it means to be a Hokie. And you couldn’t have gotten a better individual than Richard Linton,” he said after the board’s vote. 

“He gets it, but he also has experience at four different land-grant universities other than Virginia Tech, and is going to bring that expertise,” he added.

Sands will remain in the presidency until January when Linton steps into the role. After that, Sands will stay on as needed to help with the transition, he told Cardinal News.

After that, nothing is definitive. He might stay on as faculty, but he also mentioned his seven grandchildren who are scattered across the country.

They deserve a few visits, he said.

“My understanding is that Tim’s going to be here until the new president arrives and that Tim plans to remain in Blacksburg, to live in Blacksburg,” Fralin said Wednesday. “I think he’s found a home in the Blacksburg community that he very much enjoys and looks forward to retiring there.”