Alumnus Jim Tomkins Appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina

08-15-2007

Jim Tomkins, Purdue Statistics alumnus (M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1970), was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina, Regina, SK, effective March 26, 2007 for a term extending until June 30, 2008, while a comprehensive search takes place for a new full-term President and Vice-Chancellor. Tomkins, who had served the University of Regina for 37 years as a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and an administrator, ended his short retirement as of June 2006 to serve as President and Vice-Chancellor. During his years of service, he spent seven years as Vice-President from 1998 - 2005 and nine years as head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics from 1985 - 1994. He has chaired the University of Regina Faculty Association, and was a member of the committee overseeing the University’s academic and administrative pension plan for almost 35 years. He also spent nearly four years, from 1994-1998, on a secondment to the Provincial Government, serving as a Senior Policy Analyst on post-secondary education.

Tomkins has authored or co-authored more than 60 articles in leading mathematical and statistical journals. His research work was recognized and supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) for 33 years, and he has chaired three NSERC selection committees. A major highlight of his academic career was an invitation by the Chinese State Commission of Education to give a series of lectures at universities in Beijing, Changchun, Tianjin and elsewhere in China.