Richard Saller

Richard Paul Saller (born October 18, 1952) is an American classicist. He is the former provost of the University of Chicago and the former dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he is currently the university's acting president.

On July 19, 2023, Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced he would resign. Stanford University's board of trustees appointed Saller to serve as an interim president beginning on September 1.

Early life and education
Saller was born in 1952. He earned two Bachelor of Arts in history and ancient Greek at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1974 and his Ph.D. from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1978.

University of Chicago
In 1984, Saller began teaching Roman social and economic history at the University of Chicago. He became a dean in 1994 and the university's provost in 2002. As dean, he attracted controversy for asking the university to shut down its educational department.

Stanford
In April 2007, Saller was made the dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. He stepped down in September 2018 to teach full-time.

Awards and distinctions
Since 1986, the Saller Dissertation Prize has been awarded at University of Chicago for outstanding dissertations.

Personal life
Saller is married to anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann.