Richard Marksbury, a native of Virginia, has been an administrator at the School of Continuing Studies and its predecessor, University College, since 1980. He was named its dean in 1996.
During his tenure, he has spearheaded the establishment of satellite campuses in Elmwood, on the Mississippi Coast at Biloxi and in Madison, Mississippi outside Jackson. Under his leadership, the School is at an all-time enrollment high for the fall semester, 2011.
He holds a PhD in cultural anthropology with a focus on Pacific Island cultures, heads the Asian Studies program at Tulane and teaches anthropology courses in the School of Continuing Studies curriculum most semesters.