New Interim Provost is No Stranger to UB

For 37 years Robert Genco -- a distinguished professor of oral biology and microbiology -- enjoyed relative anonymity among UB students.

This semester, he has been thrust into the spotlight.

President John B. Simpson announced last month that Genco will take office as interim provost on Feb. 1. A search committee has been created to find a permanent replacement for the departing provost, Elizabeth D. Capaldi, who will become SUNY's vice chancellor and chief of staff.

While the search committee works, Genco will be Simpson's right hand man.

"The president is the chief executive, but the provost is the chief operator," said Genco. "The provost is responsible for all academic activity, including teaching, courses, class space, enrollment management, research - undergraduate, graduate, and professional. The provost is the day-to-day manager of the place, making sure of the quality of the teaching and research."

Born just south of Buffalo in the small town of Silver Creek, Genco attended Canisius College before enrolling in UB's dental school. He later obtained his doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1967 he became a UB faculty member and has been teaching here ever since.

In October 2001, Genco was named vice provost and director of the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach. There he oversaw the university's "technology transfer," which involved the protection, patenting, and marketing of people's research.

"My job was to take the fruits of research and get them out to the public to benefit society," he said.

A scientist himself, Genco holds a personal interest in technology transfer and has several patents of his own, including a device to detect oral infections and a series of medical drugs.

But while Genco is proud of his past, he's really interested in what he'll be able to do in his limited time as interim provost, which might not last longer than a semester.

"(President Simpson) has a very aggressive timetable of six months, while of course understanding that it may take nine (to find a new provost). But I'm prepared to serve as long as he wants me to serve," he said.

Genco is not a member of the provost search committee but will be involved in the interview process. He says he knows that just because his term will be short, that doesn't mean it's not important.

"Six months is a long time in the life of a student. You can't just keep the seat warm," said Genco. "Hundreds of decisions are made each day, and I see myself as very active in all that. You have to be active. It would be unfair to the students to do otherwise."

A. Scott Weber, a professor in the department of civil, structural and environmental engineering, will be the chair of the search committee.

Genco said he is excited to be working with Simpson, who, according to Genco, has been open to advice and consultation from all sides.

"He wants to know how we can be better and what to do in the next decade to become better. I'm sure he has his own ideas. Of course he does," said Genco. "We don't have to do a lot of fixing, but we can build on our strengths and decide in what direction the university is going to go."

In nearly 40 years at UB, Genco has seen everything from the construction of North Campus to the departure of President William R. Greiner. Yet he said somehow, this university still never ceases to amaze him.

"One of the things I'm still finding is that this university is wonderfully complex," he said. "(UB) is so large that we can't be everything for everyone. But at the same time, because we're so large, we have a remarkable diversity of opportunity."

And a lot of that diversity is possible, says Genco, thanks to Capaldi.

"Ms. Capaldi has set in place some excellent programs, like bioinformatics," he said.

Genco added that Capaldi is largely responsible for the school's solid financial standing and enrollment management, which was key for this year's large incoming freshman class.

"These are quite large shoes to fill," Genco said. "Having been here all these years, I have that perspective so I've seen the impact she made here."

And after all these years, Genco said he recognizes that his time as interim provost is his chance to give back to UB. Outside of his family, Genco said he considers his students - many of whom have gone on to become administrators, teachers, and dentists - to be his greatest accomplishment.

But now he'll be working on a much larger scale.

"I think we have a culture in my family of giving back, a spirit of giving back to the community," Genco said. "Making sure the university does best by the students is really something I'm pleased to participate in."

And as for that relative anonymity Genco has enjoyed all these years, so far his new title hasn't had too many students stopping him in the halls.

"It's kind of fun when I walk up to the office in Capen, passing all those students," said Genco. "They don't have a clue who I am. I don't know who they are. But I can make a difference in their lives."