Genco prepares for UB’s next chapter

A day after being named the next president of UB, Caroline Attardo Genco was on campus Wednesday for the start of a fast-paced three days of introductions to the UB community, as she prepares to take over as the university’s 16th president on Aug. 10.

She met with UB administration. She toured the North Campus and the presidential residence. She talked with students.

As a Buffalo native set to become the first female president in UB’s history, Genco acknowledged that the whirlwind of the past couple days and the experience of returning home to lead the SUNY flagship has been “a little surreal.”

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, to be honest with you, even though I have been on this journey for quite some time because the search process is pretty long,” Genco told UBNow.

“I’m really excited to learn about Buffalo as it is now,” Genco said. “I have memories from when I was a child, but the university has really transformed the city, there’s no question about it. It’s very different and I’m looking through a different lens now. I need to know where we are and what the potential is.”

The daughter of immigrants, Genco graduated from Mount St. Mary Academy in the Town of Tonawanda and was a first-generation college student, earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Fredonia and her MS and PhD in microbiology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

As a nationally recognized researcher in microbiology and immunology, Genco rose through the ranks of academia, most recently serving as provost and senior vice president at Tufts University in suburban Boston. But like many Western New Yorkers who left to build their careers, Genco, too, has found her way back.

When asked what she wants the UB community to know about their next leader, she referenced her Buffalo roots.

“The City of Buffalo was really instrumental in my upbringing — my sense of community and family and belonging and the potential of what you can do,” Genco said. “So, that’s who I have always been as a person and that has really been instrumental in my success in life.”

Genco spoke briefly with UBNow on Wednesday, after starting the day meeting with Provost A. Scott Weber. She got a tour of the North Campus from Campus Planning Director Kelly Hayes McAlonie and met with outgoing President Satish K. Tripathi.

Throughout the day, Genco met with cabinet members, both individually and in small groups, as well as Faculty Senate Chair Kristin Stapleton, before ending the day with a tour of the president’s residence.

Her introduction to UB continues Thursday and Friday, and includes meetings with members of the UB Council, the deans, a tour of the South and Downtown campuses and a meeting with Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan.

Genco also sat down on Wednesday with a small group of UB students.

“I love hearing from students,” she told them. “My style is I really like to work together in teams and hear different perspectives. I try really hard to listen.”

The six students introduced themselves and spoke enthusiastically about their time at UB, as Genco listened attentively and quizzed them about their campus experiences:

Are undergraduates aware of the opportunities in UB’s professional schools? They are, the students said.

Are there many opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research? Plenty, they said.

“When students come here, what are they looking for?” Genco asked them.

“For me, it has the best return on investment,” said Rishav Mukhopadhyay. “I could afford UB without going into huge debt when I graduated.”

The students also spoke of some of the challenges.

Shaurya Jain, the student representative on the UB Council, talked about the local job market and the difficulty retaining UB graduates in Western New York.

Shahnaz Jorna, a senior, expressed some concerns about student mental health and suggested more peer support might help.

“I’d like to talk to you more about that,” Genco told her. “Put it on the agenda for next time.”