The committee leading the search for UB’s new president is holding virtual listening sessions next week for members of the UB community to share their perspectives, priorities and aspirations for the university’s future.

The schedule:

• Staff session: Nov. 19, 3-3:45 p.m.
  Click here to join the staff listening session.

• Student session: Nov. 19, 5-5:45 p.m.
  Click here to join the student listening session.

• Faculty session: Nov. 20, 10-10:45 a.m.
  Click here to join the faculty listening session.

In addition, in-person listening sessions open to all members of the university community will be held Dec. 3 and 4. The time and place of these sessions will be shared in the coming weeks.

Those who are unable to attend a session, either virtual or in-person, can still provide their input via an online feedback survey. The feedback survey will remain open throughout the search process. All submissions will be collected confidentially.

The search committee recently held its first meeting and announced its members — a diverse group of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and community representatives.

Leading the search is UB Council Chair Jeremy M. Jacobs Jr.

Members of the search committee are:

• Rachel Ablow, professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences.
• Gregory M. Bauer, BS ’82, chair UB Foundation Board of Trustees.
• Aisha Bechir, president, undergraduate Student Association.
• Clara Bradizza, professor, School of Social Work.
• Guyora Binder, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Hodgson Russ Scholar, School of Law.
• Donald Boyd, MBA ’97, president and CEO, Kaleida Health.
• Michael Cropp, MBA ’03, UB Council member and president and CEO, Independent Health.
• Jonathan Dandes, BS ’74, UB Council member and corporate vice president, Rich Products Corporation.
• Jacqueline Hollins, PhD ’25, BS ’94, associate vice provost for student success and academic support.
• Lara Hutson, teaching professor, Department of Biological Sciences, CAS.
• Donna Linderman, SUNY senior vice chancellor for student success.
• Sarah MacDougall, president, Graduate Student Association.
• Eileen Marutiak, BA ’06, president, UB Alumni Association.
• Brenda McDuffie, UB Council member and Buffalo Urban League (retired).
• Thomas Melendy, associate professor, departments of Microbiology and Immunology, and Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
• Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker Ed.M. ‘00, consultant, former president/CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
• Jennifer Read, SUNY Distinguished Professor and chair, Department of Psychology, CAS.
• Sanjay Sethi, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Medicine; senior associate dean for clinical and translational research; and director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Jacobs School.
• Mark Swihart, SUNY Distinguished Professor and SUNY Empire Innovation Professor – RENEW Institute, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
• Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD ’89, dean, School of Public Health and Health Professions.
• Jinjun Xiong, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SEAS, and director, UB Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

Jacobs also announced that Russell Reynolds Associates is assisting the university in recruiting candidates.

Information will be available throughout the process on the search website. 

President Satish K. Tripathi announced on Sept. 23 that he would step down as UB’s 15th president in July 2026 and return to his faculty role in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.