Tripathi takes a bow

In what was his final State of the University address, President Satish K. Tripathi reminded the campus community of all they have accomplished together over the years, and because of that, UB remains strong.

But this year’s address took on a more personal tone from Tripathi, who announced Sept. 16 that he will step down as UB president in July 2026 after 15 years at the helm, a remarkable run at a time when the average tenure for college presidents is under six years.

“First and foremost, I must say what a privilege it has been to be UB’s president,” Tripathi said.

“When I was growing up in a remote village in India, I could never have envisioned my path would take me to where I stand today,” he said. “The statistician in me still asks the question: What are the odds?”

Inside Slee Hall on Friday, the president spoke before nearly 600 people in attendance. He used the opportunity to thank his wife, Kamlesh, for her love and support, and gently poke fun at his two sons who were unable to travel to Friday’s address and “still don’t know what their dad has been up to all these years.”

His rise to university president would not have been possible if not for his parents instilling in him a love of education, or for the teachers, mentors and colleagues who guided him throughout his journey, he said.

Tripathi also thanked the UB community. The president recalled how struck he was by UB’s sense of camaraderie when he first arrived on campus as provost 21 years ago.

“UB is a community in the best sense of the word: a dynamic environment where we exchange ideas, debate respectfully and come together in service of our mission of excellence,” he said.

 “At UB, all of our successes are shared successes,” he said. “Likewise, whenever we encounter challenges — and let’s face it, there have been a few — we tackle them together.”

That spirit of solidarity made his tenure as UB president “immensely rewarding” and he talked with a great sense of pride as he reflected on his time leading SUNY’s flagship university, which included navigating a pandemic and changing political landscapes.

Tripathi spoke of how moving the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences downtown has catalyzed Buffalo’s life science economy and how the emergence of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at UB has created a generation of students who are making their mark in their respective fields.

He spoke of a growing world-class faculty whose national and international honorifics have more than doubled in the past 10 years, while the number of SUNY Distinguished Professors at UB has climbed to 216.

And he spoke of how hundreds of millions of dollars in research at UB continue to build upon the university’s legacy of big ideas and bold discoveries, not only in the fields of science, engineering and medicine, but in the liberal arts, law and the humanities.

“In the domain of artificial intelligence, our comprehensive approach to research has made UB a global powerhouse in this rapidly evolving field,” the president said.

“With faculty across 15 departments harnessing AI for public good, we continue building on this reputation,” he said. “Today, our researchers are harnessing AI to develop personalized medicine, cutting-edge cybersecurity and educational tools for young learners.”

The president pointed to how the academic profile and merit has been rising among UB students, while their experience at the university has been reimagined – not only with more experiential opportunities, more academic advisors and seven new academic departments, but through a dramatic modernization of its campuses. More than $2.5 billion in construction identified in the campus master plan is well under way.

He spoke of partnerships forged locally, nationally and internationally. He spoke of how the university’s commitment to the environment and sustainability was called a “model for our country” by Kamala Harris, the first sitting U.S. vice president to visit UB. And he spoke of a historic fundraising campaign that saw 84,000 donors invest more than $1 billion to enhance every facet of the university.

A goal and recurring theme of Tripathi’s presidency was for UB to rise among the ranks of the nation’s best public research universities. That happened, too.

“All told, our collective work has significantly elevated UB’s stature as a premiere public research university,” Tripathi said.

 “Over the past 15 years, UB’s institutional rankings have risen 22 spots among public universities — and 45 spots among public and private universities,” he said.

The audience applauded.

Afterward, some of those in attendance described Tripathi’s final address as bittersweet.

“I was a little bit sad,” said Diana Aga, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Henry M. Woodburn Chair in the Department of Chemistry and director of the UB RENEW Institute. “He’s been a really good president. I’m just hoping we get someone as good and as dedicated as him.”

“It feels like an end of an era,” said Christine Wang, professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction and director of the Fisher-Price-Endowed Early Childhood Research Center in the Graduate School of Education. “I joined UB in 2003 so my time here almost entirely overlapped with the president’s leadership at UB. I’ve grown a lot over two decades and I’ve also seen the university transformed. To get to where we are today, I’m really proud.”

State Senator Sean Ryan was amazed listening to the retrospective and how much has happened at UB during Tripathi’s tenure. Ryan noted the extended standing ovation at the conclusion of the speech showed how appreciative the UB community was for the president’s work and leadership.

“On a personal note, President Tripathi was always the easiest guy to work with,” Ryan said. “I am going to miss my professional relationship with him and the team he put around him. They would come to Albany a lot, but their asks were always so clear and they were so easy to help and that was all because of the leadership at the top.”

“Satish has often been a mentor,” said Brian Kulpa, Town of Amherst supervisor. “He’s often been somebody I’ve reached out to when we’ve had difficult issues to deal with and has been part of a lot of different decisions I’ve made as far as somebody I can bounce ideas off of.

“He’s amazing,” Kulpa said. “He’s been amazing for this school and I’m so happy my tenure in Amherst overlapped his tenure as president.”

Whatever challenges lie ahead for the next president, Tripathi said he has every confidence that UB will further extend the boundaries of inquiry, knowledge and discovery far into the future.

“As I conclude my presidential tenure next year, and return to my faculty role, I look forward to continuing to pursue this noble goal alongside of you: a community of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends whose devotion to the public good has inspired me from the first,” he told the crowd.

“Thank you.”