A former Salina school superintendent has been appointed interim president of Wichita State University. The Kansas Board of Regents Thursday appointed Dr. Andy Tompkins to the position.
This will be Dr. Tompkins’ second time serving in this capacity in Kansas. He previously was Interim President of Fort Hays State University from December 2016 to November 2017.
According to the Borad of Regents, Dr. Tompkins became president and CEO of their organization on June 1, 2010, and retired from the position on June 30, 2015.
Throughout his career, Dr. Tompkins 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 as Interim Dean for the College of Education at Pittsburg State (1995-1996), a position he returned to as Dean from 2007-2010.
In 1996, Dr. 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.
Dr. 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 recipient of the Leadership Kansas Alumnus of the Year Award (2002), 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, Oklahoma. He earned his master’s degree from Emporia State University and his doctorate from the University of Kansas in Educational Administration.
