President Richard Linton is leaving Manhattan for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, according to the Manhattan Mercury.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has scheduled a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14 at noon Central Standard Time to appoint the university’s 17th president. The Kansas Board of Regents has also called a special meeting for tomorrow at 12:15 p.m.

Linton is K-State’s 15th president, serving in the role since 2022. Acquiring all his degrees from Virginia Tech — bachelor’s degree in biology, master’s degree in food science and Ph.D. in food science — Linton has direct connections to Blacksburg, Va.

Prior to K-State, Linton was dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, department chair of food science and technology at The Ohio State University and a faculty member in the Department of Food Science at Purdue University.

Thus far, Linton has guided the way for the creation and implementation of Next-Gen K-State, a strategic plan set through 2030 and beyond. Next-Gen is an initiative in which K-State is committed to aiding and assisting others’ lives through education, research and engagement.