Satish K. Tripathi, dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California-Riverside, has been announced as UB's next provost.
After a three-month search that narrowed more than 40 candidates down to three, President John B. Simpson selected Tripathi based on the recommendations of the provostal search committee and members of the community.
Tripathi was chosen over two other finalists, David Daniel of the University of Illinois and Martin Moskovits of the University of California at Santa Barbara.
"I am very honored and pleased to name Satish Tripathi as UB's new provost," stated Simpson in a press release.
Tripathi, who will take office as UB's chief academic operator on July 1, said he is delighted with the opportunity to serve as UB's next provost and to work with President Simpson, who Tripathi has known since 2002.
"I see a great university that is a member of the Association of American Universities, and I see a lot of potential to take it to the next step with President Simpson," Tripathi said.
According to Tripathi, it didn't take long to decide to accept the provost offer when President Simpson called last weekend to tell him he had been selected.
"I was very, very excited," he said.
Originally from the small village of Patna in the Indian province of Faizabad, Tripathi graduated top of his class from Banaras Hindu University in 1968 and obtained a doctorate in computer science from the University of Toronto in 1979.
Also the owner of three master's degrees - one in computer science and two in statistics - Tripathi has been the dean of engineering college at UC Riverside since 1997 and served as interim executive vice chancellor for four months in 2002.
Making the Change
Now that Tripathi has a permanent top administrative position at UB, he is looking forward to getting his feet wet at what he says is a "comprehensive" university where there is still much to be done.
"To me that's the most exciting part because we can get people to work together and solve real problems," Tripathi said.
But before he can dive into problem solving and building a shared vision, Tripathi acknowledges there is going to be a period of adjustment.
"The first thing is for me to understand what UB is all about, and meet the people - faculty, students and staff," he said.
If there is anyone other than Simpson already at UB who knows a thing or two about job adjustment, it's Robert Genco, who served as interim provost after Elizabeth Capaldi announced her resignation last semester to become SUNY vice chancellor and chief of staff.
According to Genco, the transitional period between Capaldi's resignation and Tripathi's appointment has been a good experience that saw few disruptions or problems.
But with Tripathi arriving in the summer, another transition will soon be underway.
"I'm looking forward to working to with Dr. Tripathi to help him settle down and get him oriented with some of the issues that need to be resolved, and more importantly to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities to make this a great university," Genco said.
Kerry Grant, vice provost for academic affairs, echoed Genco's sentiments.
"I'm sure the campus will very much welcome the permanent appointment of a provost," Grant said. "I think we've stayed very well on track under interim provost Genco. I think the interim period was very successful."
A. Scott Weber, a professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering who chaired the nine-person provost search committee, said he was pleased with Simpson's choice of Tripathi.
"What I think Professor Tripathi will be able to do is evaluate the strengths at UB, of which I think there are many, and build on those strengths and then further enhance the stature of the university," Weber said.
Door Always Open
As for Tripathi's skills, Weber had nothing but praise for the future provost.
"I think first of all, he's an outstanding scholar and a proven administrator," Weber said. "He is a very good listener. He has high expectations for himself and the people he works for. He's warm. He connects with people. These will all serve him well in the position of provost."
But Weber isn't the only one who considers Tripathi a good people person.
"I think my strong point is with people," Tripathi said. "I really try to reach a consensus, trying to get people to understand what they want to achieve, and then create the vision to achieve it."
According to Tripathi, the key to any academic position he's held has been being open in his leadership style, getting to know people, and becoming familiar with their wants and needs.
"My door is always open," Tripathi said.
And according to Tripathi's colleague Akula Venkatram, chair of mechanical engineering at UC Riverside, it is exactly that open door that is going to make Tripathi as successful at UB as he was in California.
"He's the type of person who knows how to bring people together," Venkatram said. "One of the amazing things about him is that you'll never find anyone who says anything bad about him."
Venkatram highlighted Tripathi's ability to make firm decisions and make things happen. During his tenure as a dean at UC Riverside, Tripathi took Venkatram's mechanical engineering department from being nonexistent to the second largest department in the college.
"He's got this fantastic ability to reach a consensus on decision and make decisions without offending a large number of people," Venkatram said.
Another colleague, Mark Matsumoto, said the leadership skills Tripathi used to spark positive change at UC Riverside would be an invaluable asset to UB.
"He and President Simpson will work very well together," said Matsumoto, the associate dean for student affairs in the engineering college, who was a UB faculty member for 11 years.
Venkatram also praised Tripathi's management skills.
"He gets the right people - good people - and he trusts them," Venkatram said.
An Important Balance
Early in the search for a provost, UB Distinguished English Professor Bruce Jackson had his concerns over the pros and cons of having a provost with a background only in science. But after meeting with Tripathi, Jackson said he has no doubt this second Californian is perfect for the job.
"I thought he was really a wide-ranging person with a great interest and energy, and I like him a great deal," said Jackson, a Samuel P. Capen professor of American culture.
"He's a man of real scope and vision, and I think he'll do real well here," Jackson added.
Yet even though Jackson feels Tripathi is very aware of the needs of the humanities and social sciences departments, he hopes one of Tripathi's first orders of business is to open the research office's eyes to departments outside of the sciences.
"We don't get the support or attention we need and I think a provost can really light a fire there that can help that," Jackson said.
According to Tripathi, a balance between science and the arts at a university like UB shouldn't even be a question.
"I think the whole idea of biology and bio-sciences and bioinformatics is a very exciting field right now," Tripathi said. "But if you look at the university as a whole, a really good university isn't a great university without the humanities and social sciences component to it."
"For me, the major thing is to look at all those angles," Tripathi added. "And that's what I learned when I was the executive vice chancellor for four months. That actually gave me some positive feedback to go out and try something. Otherwise, you don't know what's going on around the rest of the campus."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
