“We're going to hit the ground running, doing a lot of listening and building some relationships there but, at the same time, there are some operational things that we know are going to be first off, with the budgeting process and legislative, fiscal session coming up,” Tompkins said.

For the first three months, Tompkins said he expects he will be taking a look at what UAHT’s strengths are as well as speaking with the dual-campus institution’s leaders to see where there may be opportunities. He said he has already heard from community groups in Southwest Arkansas eager to spend time with him.

As for the transition of his residence, Tompkins has already settled on a house in the Patmos area, which would not be far from where he grew up.  “We're getting contracts done and all of that to be able to get in. So we're excited about it,” he said.

When asked what it had been like in the Tompkins household, which includes himself, his wife Martha and a 16-year-old son, since Ricky found out he was the choice for UAHT’s next chancellor, he said, “Honestly, it's been amazing and humbling, just the outpouring of support from people in the community, from people from the UA system, the Board of Visitors, the Trustees. It really has been just amazing, and I think we’ve gotten things off on the right foot. We're excited as a family, so excited to start working with the staff. I've talked to couple of the folks in leadership there already, and we're just ready to move forward and get going.”

The Tompkins plan to spend the holidays together in Rogers.  “It's going to be a joyous time,” Ricky Tompkins said. “We got an early Christmas present, being named Chancellor at UA Hope Texarkana. So we're going to celebrate here as a family with both family and friends. We'll be making some trips down to Hope as well throughout the month of January, just getting things prepared.”

But first, Tompkins said he wants to make clear his gratitude for having been chosen to head UAHT at it enters the second half of the 2020s: “The biggest thing for me is really to express my appreciation to the UAHT faculty, staff and administration for the support they've shown, to the communities in Hope and Texarkana as well, and [I’m] really just excited about exceeding the expectations the community has for us as we serve our students and really focus on their success.”

Above photo:  Ricky Tompkins, as the second candidate for UAHT chancellor to visit, explains one of his slides during his November 17th talk.