12/14/16 br/kb
HAYS, Kan. -- The Kansas Board of Regents announced today the appointment of Dr. Andy Tompkins as interim president at Fort Hays State University.

"There is no one in the State of Kansas who has more experience as a leader in education, or who is more qualified to assist in this capacity," said Zoe Newton, chair of the Kansas Board of Regents. "I appreciate the opportunity to work with Dr. Tompkins again. The Board is confident he will be able to successfully oversee Fort Hays State, especially because of his extensive knowledge of FHSU."

Tompkins' interim presidency begins Monday, Dec. 19.

Tompkins became president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents on June 1, 2010, and retired from the position on June 30, 2015.

Throughout his career, he served at all levels of public education, beginning as a high school English teacher in 1969 and continuing on to work as a high school principal and district superintendent. In 1994, he was hired by Pittsburg State University as chair and associate professor in the Department of Special Services and Leadership Studies. He then went on to serve from 1995 to 1996 as interim dean for the College of Education at Pittsburg State. He returned to that position as dean from 2007-2010.

In 1996, Tompkins was asked to serve as the commissioner of education for the Kansas Department of Education, a role he continued in through 2005. Afterwards, he served as an associate professor at the University of Kansas, teaching in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, before returning to Pittsburg State.

Tompkins was selected as Kansas Superintendent of the Year in 1992, was inducted into the Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame in 2001, and received the Governor's Award presented by the Kansas State High School Activities Association in 2002. He was the 2002 recipient of the Leadership Kansas Alumnus of the Year Award, received the University of Kansas College of Education Distinguished Service Award in 2004, and was given the Emporia State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.

He earned his undergraduate degree in English at East Central State University in Ada, Okla. He earned his master's degree from Emporia State University and his doctorate in educational administration from the University of Kansas.

For more information, contact Breeze Richardson - 773-255-7847 (cell) or brichardson@ksbor.org.

About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state's six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state's 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges and six technical colleges).

In addition, the Board administers the state's student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.

Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.