Collegio Online

Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Campus Life

Media Credit: Aaron Anders

On Friday, March 5, the Kansas Board of Regents announced that Anthony Tompkins, the current dean of the College of Education at Pittsburg State University, would replace Reggie Robinson as the president and CEO of the organization. The nine current members unanimously voted him to the position.
Tompkins, the second member on the Board of Regents to have ties to Pitt State, began his educational career as a teacher and a principal, after getting his doctorate from the University of Kansas. By the time he joined Pitt State in 1994, he had been the superintendent of three different school districts in his career.
Lynette Olson, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, congratulated Tompkins in an online press release.
"We will certainly miss Dr. Tompkins, but this is a wonderful opportunity for him to extend his service to the state of Kansas and all of the students served by the institutions governed by the Board of Regents," Olson said.
Pitt State will research a plan to replace Tompkins during the transition throughout the next few weeks. No candidates have been announced yet.
The Kansas Board of Regents is also home to another Pitt State fan: Richard Hedges. Hedges received his master's and educational specialist degrees from Pitt State. Members of the Kansas Board of Regents must be appointed by the state government. Before they can officially become members, appointees must be confirmed by the state Senate. The Kansas Board of Regents governs the six Kansas Regents universities: Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Wichita State, Pittsburg State, Kansas State University and the University of Kansas. In addition to the six regent schools, the board governs 19 community colleges, five technical colleges, six technical schools and one municipal university. The board also oversees Kansas' student financial aid adult education, GED, and career and technical education programs, along with authorizing private schools and out-of-state institutions to operate in Kansas.
"I was truly honored to be considered by the Board of Regents for this rare opportunity to help lead the state's higher education system," Tompkins said in a Board of Regents' press release. "These are trying times for public higher education institutions not only in Kansas but across the nation, and our state's public higher education system has a key role to play as Kansas pulls itself out of this difficult economic environment."
Tompkins will not be officially named the board president and CEO until June 1. Specifics pertaining to his salary and benefits are finalized, but have yet to be approved by the board.

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