Satish K. Tripathi

Satish K. Tripathi is an Indian-American computer scientist from Buffalo, NY, and is the president of the University at Buffalo (UB), part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.^[1] He was selected by the SUNY Board of Trustees with backing from SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher,^[2] and assumed this position on April 18, 2011, after leaving his position as provost of the University of Buffalo.^[1][3]

Tripathi grew up in India and came to the United States in 1978. He spent many years as a faculty member at the University of Maryland and the University of California, Riverside. He was UB Provost from 2004 to 2011, during which time he secured important partnerships in India. He is recognized as an expert computer scientist and has published more than 200 papers.

Background

Early life

Tripathi was born and raised in the small village of Patna Mubarakpur in India.^[4] As a child, he was interested in the field of education;^[4] and his father was a high school principal.^[4]

In the Winter 2014 edition of At Buffalo, Tripathi states in an article included in the publication:

...I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to lead a major American research university like UB. My early ambitions were more modest: I hoped, through hard work and perseverance, that I might one day become a high school principal like my father. I would have taken great pride in that achievement, but I am very proud of where this path ultimately has taken me.^[4]

Education

Tripathi graduated at the head of his class in 1968 from Banaras Hindu University in India, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in statistics.^[1][4] He also holds master's and doctoral degrees (1979)^[1] in computer science that he earned from the University of Toronto,^[4] and a master's degree in statistics from the University of Alberta in 1974.^[1][4][5]

Early career

Work in India

In Calcutta, after graduating from Banaras Hindu University, Tripathi gained experience in working with computers at the Indian Statistical Institute.^[4] He also worked at the Electronics Corporation of India Limited in systems programming prior to moving to Canada to further his education.^[4]

Work in the US

Tripathi came to the United States in 1978.^[4] He was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where he served 19 years as a faculty member,^[1][4] including as chair for seven years from 1988 to 1995.^[1][4] At the University of California, Riverside, Tripathi was Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering for seven years from 1997 to 2004.^[4] An internationally recognized computer scientist, Tripathi has been involved in substantial funded research and has published more than 200 scholarly papers, supervised 25 doctoral students, and served on program committees of numerous international conferences.^[1][2] He is a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.^[1] He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Urban League.^[1]

UB career

As UB Provost

Tripathi became UB Provost in 2004.^[4] With Tripathi as provost, UB's international undergraduate enrollment grew significantly^[1] with its highest SAT scoring undergraduate student body over three recent years.

Tripathi also 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.^[1][6] The Initiative is aimed at increasing educational access to people in India.^[6] The Initiative partners India with UB, as well as four additional universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California at San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, and Cornell University.^[6] QUALCOMM Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Cadence Design Systems, Inc. have partnered in the Initiative to provide funding for the program.^[6]

Regarding the creation of the Collaborative Initiative between the United States and India, Tripathi is quoted in an article written by Ellen Goldbaum that appeared in the University at Buffalo on July 28, 2005, stating:

UB is partnering with a distinguished group of Indian and U.S. institutions and companies in combining faculty expertise and distance-learning technologies to expand access to higher and technical education throughout India.^[6]

In 2011, Tripathi was named President of UB.^[4] At the time he left his position as Provost, he was overseeing Building UB, the institution's physical plan that included the construction of several new buildings. John Kapoor Hall, Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, and William R. Greiner Hall were all constructed under Building UB.^[7]

As UB President

As president, he is a significant promoter of the economic stimulus plan, UB 2020,^[1][8] and also serves as an honorary member of AtTheBull.

Professional outlook

Education is important to Tripathi, a value that his family taught him from an early age.^[4]

Tripathi stated in the Winter 2014 edition of At Buffalo, regarding his views on education:

From a very early age, my family taught me that, through education, one cannot only change one's personal destiny, but also change the world for the better.^[4]

Personal life

Tripathi is a resident of Amherst, New York. He and his wife, Kamlesh,^[4] have two adult sons, Manish and Aashish.^[4]

References

External links

• UB Office of the President: About Satish K. Tripathi