Concord’s community college has selected a new president — a career educator with an extensive background working in community colleges – who will begin his new role this winter.
Patrick Tompkins will take the helm at NHTI starting Feb. 1 the Community College System of New Hampshire announced Monday. He will fill the position vacated by former president Gretchen Mullin-Sawicki, who stepped down in March to relocate closer to family. Chancellor Mark Rubinstein has been serving as interim president for the past eight months.
Tompkins, who was selected out of a pool of over 60 applicants, is coming to New Hampshire from Virginia, where he is the vice president for academic, student and workforce education at Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa. He was previously the provost and acting dean of Science, Engineering and Technology and dean of Communications, Humanities, & Social Sciences at Thomas Nelson Community College in Williamsburg, Va. He has also been a faculty member and department head at Brightpoint Community College in Chester, Va.
“What a tremendous honor to be invited to serve NHTI and the broader Concord region,” Tompkins said. “The college’s considerable strengths in educational programs, student support, faculty and staff talent and community engagement are the bedrock of NHTI’s history and a strong foundation for its future. As we anticipate accelerating changes in higher education, I look forward to what we will accomplish together.”
Tompkins has a PhD in community college leadership from Old Dominion University, a master’s in English from Iowa State University, a master’s in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s from Villanova University.
“Patrick clearly showed an ability to lead and to do so by listening to and taking in all viewpoints,” said Alan Lindsay, English professor and Faculty Council president who served on the search committee. “He seeks out and actively engages in the genuine issues and concerns expressed by people who care about this college and its future.”
During the candidate search process, Tompkins met with groups of community college stakeholders and led a strategy session with some faculty and staff members to review NHTI’s current position in the community and brainstorm potential approaches to ensuring a successful future.
“Through the course of this search process, Dr. Tompkins emerged as the candidate whose experience, and more importantly, whose approach to this work, demonstrated both the essential skills, but also the commitment, to engage with colleagues, with the community, and with colleagues across CCSNH to build on NHTI’s strengths, to overcome challenges, and to position the college for continued success in the future,” Rubinstein said.