Richard J. Cook is an American educator who served as the twentieth president of Allegheny College. He was previously the provost of Kalamazoo College. Prior to that, Cook served as a professor of chemistry. On April 30, 2007, Cook announced he would step down as president of Allegheny College at the end of the 2007-2008 academic year.According to Allegheny Magazine, Cook played a key role in the controversial change in Kalamazoo College's K plan from a year-round calendar to a three quarter calendar. At Allegheny College, he has promoted civic engagement.Cook's undergraduate education was at the University of Michigan, while his graduate work in Chemistry was at Princeton University.