Indian American appointed President of University at Buffalo

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 19 (PTI) Indian American Satish
Tripathi, an internationally recognised computer scientist,
has been appointed as President of the prestigious University
at Buffalo (UB) in New York.
State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees
announced Tripathi's appointment to this top post following
seven-month international research. During which the search
committee considered nearly 70 candidates.
With his appointment, Tripathi, 60, has become the
first non-American president in UB's history.
He is the 15th president of UB, the largest and most
comprehensive university in the SUNY system and one of two
SUNY institutions to be a member of the prestigious
Association of American Universities (AAU).
"Dr Tripathi has excelled as provost and executive
vice president at the University at Buffalo, aiding in the
development of its strategic plan and enhancing the
university's academic and research portfolios. The Board is
most confident that he will prove an extraordinary leader for
UB as its 15th president," said SUNY Board Chairman, Carl T
Hayden.
"Major public research universities like UB engage
in research that helps build vibrant communities at home and
across the globe, and they require leadership of exceptional
caliber. As a transformative leader with an international
reputation for excellence, Dr Tripathi will provide
outstanding leadership for UB and the Western New York
community," University Chancellor Nancy L Zimpher said.
Tripathi said he is privileged and humbled by the
opportunity to lead this remarkable university.
"As UB grows in stature, quality and impact, so will
our ability to fulfill our core mission. My definition of that
mission is very ambitious, but it's also very simple. In
essence, I believe everything we do as an academic community
is about making the world a better place. I am eager to get to
work together with our university, our community and our
partners around the world to pursue that vision," he said.
Tripathi, 60, joined UB as provost - the university's
chief academic officer - on July 1, 2004, after serving as
dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of
California, Riverside.
Among his many accomplishments at UB, Tripathi was one
of the principal creators of the UB 2020 strategic plan to
achieve academic and research excellence.
Tripathi also led a strategic planning process for
UB's international programmes that has led to significant
expansion of UB's international presence and the continued
globalization of UB's US campuses.
Tripathi signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005
with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to establish the
Indo-US Inter-University Collaborative Initiative in Higher
Education and Research.
This memorandum led to a partnership between UB and
Amrita University on collaborative activities that include
dual-master's degree programmes in management and computer
science. Tripathi graduated from Banaras Hindu University in
India in 1968. In addition to a doctorate in computer science
earned from the University of Toronto in 1979, he holds three
master's degrees -- one in computer science from the
University of Toronto (1976) and two in statistics from the
University of Alberta (1974) and Banaras Hindu University
(1970).
He was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Sciences
from the prestigious Indian Institute of Information
Technology, Allahabad, the university's highest degree