HOPE – University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Chancellor Dr. Ricky Tompkins has been elected to serve on the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network (ARE-ON) Board of Directors.
Presidents and chancellors from colleges across Arkansas elected Tompkins to represent the state’s higher-education institutions on the board. His two-year term continues through June 30, 2028.
ARE-ON is a university-based technology services organization that supports most higher-education institutions across Arkansas. Its 16-member board includes higher-education presidents and chancellors from throughout the state, including two representatives from Arkansas’s two-year colleges.
As a board member, Tompkins will help shape ARE-ON’s strategy, policies and major fiscal decisions. The board’s work influences the development and delivery of technology services for higher education and healthcare institutions across Arkansas.
“I am honored to have been selected by my fellow presidents and chancellors to serve on the ARE-ON Board of Directors,” Tompkins said. “ARE-ON’s mission to provide technology services and network connectivity that strengthen higher education, academic research and healthcare directly supports the work we do in our communities. I look forward to helping guide services that equip our institutions and IT professionals to serve Arkansans more effectively.”
ARE-ON is a membership-based organization with 45 participating institutions. It provides network and technology services designed to support higher education, academic research, and healthcare delivery while helping information technology professionals at member institutions better serve their communities.
To learn more about ARE-ON, visit www.areon.net.