Introduced by Lions past-president and Farmers Bank & Trust Hope Market President Janet Choate, who noted she has known him since their days in the Patmos area, Tompkins began by reflecting on his first weeks on the job and the significance of coming back to Hempstead County.

“It is good to be back home,” Tompkins said. “We in our lives most of the time don’t get a chance to come back home. To give back to a community that gave so much to me and to my family, it’s a true blessing to be back.”

He said even before officially beginning work Feb. 1, he was reminded that past UAHT chancellors had been active in the Lions Club. “There’s a legacy of the chancellors of UA Hope Texarkana being part of this club,” he said, adding that he already had the membership application in his notebook.

Turning quickly to the college’s mission, Tompkins described UAHT as “this community’s college” and stressed accountability to local taxpayers. “We are this community’s college, and so we want to make sure that we’re serving the needs that you have for us, that we’re meeting your expectations,” he said.

Addressing Hempstead County residents specifically, he thanked them for their support. “Thank you all so very much for not only the support of participating in our events, but also paying a sales tax for us,” he said. “I also take that very, very seriously. So if we’re not serving you, then as a taxpayer, you have every right to say you’re not serving this community.”

Tompkins framed education as generational change, noting that for many students the community college is their gateway to improved opportunity. “For some of our students, we’re the only path that they have to create a better life for themselves and for their families,” he said. “We’re changing generations to come.”

He described himself as a first-generation college student and credited education with opening doors that otherwise would not have existed. “There’s no good reason why I’m standing in front of you right now,” he said, recounting his upbringing in the Patmos area and his academic journey. “There’s no reason why, except for one, and that’s education. Education opened the door.”

Currently, UAHT offers “50 credit programs,” ranging from short-term certificates to two-year associate degrees designed for transfer. In-district tuition, he noted, is significantly lower than at larger universities. “If you’re in the district, you’re going to pay about $95 a credit hour,” he said, contrasting that with $485 at University of Arkansas Fayetteville.

He also mentioned the transfer pathways available to students who complete associate degrees, including the ability to move into four-year programs without losing credit hours.

Enrollment numbers reflect the college’s broad reach. During the 2025 academic year, he said, “the college served 1,631 individual students,” and nearly 3,000 when counting duplicated enrollment across semesters. Of particular importance is the concurrent and dual enrollment population. “Unduplicated, we serve 764 high school students last year,” he said.

In Hempstead County alone, “last year, 460 high school students benefited,” he said. He noted that concurrent students currently pay “zero” out of pocket for tuition.

The Collegiate Academy model in Hope and Texarkana, he said, is viewed statewide as an example of a strong K–12 and higher education partnership. Those students, he added, are not all 4.0 GPA students but are young people “who are shown gifts and talents, and they don’t know how to get there.”

Tompkins said UAHT employs 123 full-time employees. He has already begun attending regional economic development meetings and called for cooperation with other institutions across southwest Arkansas.

“We see the need in order for us to grow here in southwest Arkansas. We have got to all work together,” he said.

He acknowledged population challenges, recalling that the Hope city limit sign once read “10,290” when he graduated high school in 1991, and driving home the need for renewed population growth.

His vision, he said, centers on development at every level. “Everything is about development-- period. We’re going to develop our students. We’re going to develop ourselves, and we’re going to develop our community,” he said. He added that innovation requires willingness to try new approaches. “You will never see me get upset when we try something that doesn’t work. You will only see me get upset if we try something and it doesn’t work and we keep on doing it.”

Citing examples from northwest Arkansas, he spoke of long-term vision and regional collaboration, summarizing his mindset in the motto credited to Walt Disney “Dream, believe, dare and do.”

Workforce training remains central. A welding certificate, he noted, can be highly lucrative, recounting the story of a 19-year-old graduate earning $116,000 in six months.

He also addressed Hempstead Hall funding, explaining that the half-cent sales tax yields roughly $1.9 million annually, with half dedicated to the hall. That funding supports reduced rental rates, certain no-cost meeting room reservations and ticket price reductions for events.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a good event out there in Hempstead Hall. We’re going to change that,” he said. He announced that movies would soon return, sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor and free to the community. “It’s going to be free to the community with free popcorn and free drinks,” he said.

He also described plans to simulcast programs from the Federal Reserve’s Little Rock office and bring panel discussions on rural development and finance to Hempstead Hall.

On campus facilities, Tompkins was candid. “One of the first thing I noticed when I went on campus is that the campus, does not represent who we are as a college,” he said. He pledged improvements, adding, “You give me a little bit of time, and you’re going to be able to go back on campus and be proud when you go back on campus.”

He concluded his prepared remarks with a statement of priorities. “Family first, then we’ll focus on our students, and then we’re going to focus on each other,” he said. If those priorities are maintained, he said, “our students will be successful, and our community will be successful.”

During a question-and-answer session, Lions Club member Richard Read invited Tompkins to return March 16 to appear jointly with Hope Public Schools Superintendent Jonathan Crossley. Tompkins checked his calendar and replied, “I could be here March the 16th.”

Asked about a report that the flag flown at the Texarkana campus excludes Hope, Tompkins responded that signage and branding will reflect the unified institution. “It’s going to say UA Hope Texarkana over there,” he said. “Two campuses, two locations, one college.”

He also addressed a question about the pressure of competition in Texarkana, acknowledging that Texarkana College is an established presence but emphasizing collaboration and avoidance of unnecessary program duplication.  He said UAHT charges less for tuition.

In response to concerns about rampant belief in misinformation, inability to discuss issues rationally and the role of artificial intelligence, Tompkins said the college’s role is instructional rather than ideological. “Our role is not to tell students what to think, but it is to help teach them how to think,” he said. He added that the institution is already considering internal AI workshops and possible community education programs addressing emerging technology and avoidance of scams.

The meeting concluded with routine club announcements, including updates on Liberty Day planning and a Hempstead Hall bingo event.  Ty Ragan, who works for Cadence Bank, soon to be named Huntington Bank, as a loan officer was inducted into the club.