Kansas State president calls for a new land-grant vision with Patterson Lecture

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Kansas State president calls for a new land-grant vision with Patterson Lecture

Ohio State lecture series focuses on challenges facing land-grant institutions

From emerging diseases and natural disasters to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, change in the world is happening faster than ever before. To help communities face these challenges, states' flagship universities must adopt a Land-grant 3.0 model to remain relevant.

That was the message from Kansas State University President Richard H. Linton at The Ohio State University's 2026 James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture. The annual event honors former Board of Trustees member Jim Patterson and his commitment to "a vibrant university fulfilling its land-grant mission in an ever-changing world."

Linton is the 15th president of Kansas State, a food scientist by training and a longtime leader in the land-grant system. He is currently leading the implementation of Next-Gen K-State, a strategic plan positioning the university as a next-generation land-grant institution. Under his leadership, the university has reversed nearly a decade of enrollment decline and increased total enrollment to more than 21,000 students.

Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda introduced Linton at the luncheon on Thursday at the Ohio Union to a full ballroom of university leaders, students, faculty and staff.

"It's an extraordinary gift for us to take this opportunity to think about a core tenet of Ohio State's identity, which is our land-grant mission and our land-grant status, which we're very proud of and own every day," Bellamkonda said.

"There's another dimension to education that's very special, which makes land-grant universities extraordinary, which is that ultimately, as human beings, the definition of civilization is to … have the space to learn, to grow, and to find meaning in our lives."

For land-grant universities to have meaning in the modern world, they must evolve. If Land-grant 1.0 was about access to practical education, and Land-grant 2.0 expanded the research enterprise, then Land-grant 3.0 needs to be about translation and engagement at speed, Linton said.

"The question is not whether the land-grant mission still matters, because we all know that it does," he said. "Are we organized to deliver on a mission at a pace and scale required to meet the demands of this day and tomorrow? And if the values are timeless, is it the way we operate that needs to evolve?"

Linton said that if the Morrill Act, which established land-grant colleges and universities, were written today, he suspected it would call for at least three things.

The first, he said, is speed with rigor. Universities must be able to respond to emergencies and challenges quickly while maintaining the credibility and integrity that define academic work.

Second is relevance with independence. Land-grant universities must remain closely connected to the needs of the communities that they serve and independent enough to tell the truth - "even when the truth is hard and maybe what people don't want to hear," he said.

The third thing is a measurable public benefit. Outcomes must be visible beyond metrics, charts and graphics. Linton said they should be seen in real life, experienced and felt, and make a difference for all the communities that universities serve.

"This is not meant to be a critique of higher education. It's a call to modernize the model so that the mission remains credible and durable for generations to come," he said.

Linton said universities are well-positioned to achieve those goals. He stated that when education leads to greater stability for families, when graduates contribute to the vitality of their communities, and when employers see the growth of skilled and capable workforces, the value of higher education becomes visible in everyday life.

He said that in Land-grant 3.0, the next generation of land-grant universities will become a platform for multistate associations, private-public partnerships, shared data systems with clear governance, cooperative extension partnerships across boundaries, and progress that moves at the pace of industry while preserving independence.

"Let's lead as land-grants that don't just predict the future. Let's lead as those who empower it, rooted in our communities, guided by science, measured by impact and committed always to the growth that serves our people."

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