Concluding My Presidential Tenure

Dear university community:

Today, I write to you to share that I will be stepping down as UB president in July of 2026. While there is never an ideal time to leave this role, I do so knowing that the state of our university is strong.

As I have spent the past several months contemplating this decision, I have had the opportunity to reflect on our collective endeavors, challenges and successes, and the meaningful impact of our work on those we serve.

When I joined UB as provost in 2004, I found our university to be an institution with rich history, remarkable expertise and exceptional potential. It also quickly became apparent to me that, in fostering a sense of belonging, a culture of respect and a shared purpose, UB is a community in the best sense of the word.

I have been delighted to make Buffalo my home, proud to call UB my academic home and honored to serve as president. Over the past 14-plus years, we have developed a rigorous, relevant and innovative curriculum across disciplines, transforming the undergraduate and graduate experience for a generation of students.

Together, we have dramatically modernized our campuses, shaping a living-learning environment that advances our academic and professional ambitions by providing world-class facilities in which to realize the fullness of UB’s education and research mission.

Together, we have engaged in the classroom, the studio, the laboratory and the clinic for the purpose of taking our findings and innovations beyond those walls—to regional, national and international frontiers. And we have done it all in service of enhanced health and well-being, economic prosperity, and artistic and cultural vibrancy. As a result, in Buffalo, across Western New York and well beyond, UB is renowned as a thoughtful, skillful, visionary leader.

As we contribute substantively to society, UB has engendered goodwill and great pride among alumni and donors from around the corner and around the globe. Our stakeholders recognize the impressive trajectory we are on, and they generously respond by helping us achieve our boldest ambitions.

There are many reasons to celebrate our shared accomplishments. What is perhaps most gratifying is that, through every chapter and challenge, we have held fast to our university mission and values.

Our institutional mission of excellence and impact is the bedrock of our success. On this foundation, we are fulfilling our commitment to society by educating tomorrow’s trailblazers, bringing our expertise to bear on complex issues and providing practical, sustainable solutions.

To be sure, we have been tested along the way. Across its nearly 180-year history, UB has faced a number of daunting trials. And yet, as an institution forged in strong principles, we have not only withstood these challenges—we have thrived.

And we always will, because the mission endures. With it as our guide, I have every confidence that the University at Buffalo will further extend the boundaries of inquiry, knowledge and discovery far into the future. In returning to my faculty role next fall, I look forward to continuing to pursue this noble goal alongside a scholarly community whose devotion to the public good has inspired me from the first.

I would like to acknowledge our UB Council, UB Foundation, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees for their steadfast support of the University at Buffalo.

Finally, whether you are faculty, staff, student, alum, partner or friend, know that your dedication to our mission makes all things possible for our great university.

As always, you have my heartfelt gratitude.

Sincerely,

Satish K. Tripathi
President