Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE, president of Valley City State University, has been selected to become the next president of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., by the Kansas Board of Regents.

President Mason will succeed Dr. Andy Tompkins, former president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, who has served as interim president at Fort Hays State since December 2016. Mason will begin her Fort Hays presidency in early January 2018.

Mason began serving as president of Valley City State University Dec. 15, 2014. Prior to joining VCSU, she had served Fort Hays State University as vice president for student affairs. She previously served as dean of student life at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis., and as executive director of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and Foundation in Indianapolis, Ind.

She holds a Doctor of Education degree in higher education from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.; a Master of Science in Education degree from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology/anthropology from Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. She also holds the Certified Association Executive professional certification.

The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education will direct the search for Mason’s successor at VCSU.