M E M O R A N D U M

	
					                             April 18, 2011


To:	Members of the Board of Trustees

From:	Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor

Subject:	Appointment of Satish K. Tripathi as President – the State
	University of New York at Buffalo

Action Requested
	The proposed resolution approves the appointment of Dr. Satish K. Tripathi as the next President of the State University of New York at Buffalo.  
Resolution
      
      I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution:

Resolved that the appointment of Satish K. Tripathi as President of the University at Buffalo, at a State salary of $385,000, effective immediately, be and hereby is, approved.  In addition to the State salary, Dr. Tripathi will receive $115,000 per year from the campus’ allocation of funds within The Research Foundation of State University of New York in recognition of and in support of his ongoing research and $150,000 annually from the University at Buffalo Foundation.  Up to $150,000 of the above-mentioned non-State compensation may be in deferred compensation.

Background

      I am pleased to recommend your approval of the appointment of Dr. Satish K. Tripathi as President of the State University of New York at Buffalo effective immediately.  Dr. Tripathi was appointed Officer in Charge on March 17, 2011 and succeeds Dr. John Simpson, who served as President since January 2004. 
      
      After conducting a national search that attracted strong candidates from the Nation's most highly ranked research universities, Dr. Tripathi was a unanimous choice of the University at Buffalo Presidential Search Committee and Council.  

      Members of my Executive Committee and I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Tripathi and to discuss the future of the University at Buffalo with him. I am confident he is the right person for this position. 
      
	In recognition of Dr. Tripathi's strong skills and highly successful experience, the UB Council, the UB Foundation and I are recommending an annual payment of $115,000 from the Research Foundation's UB allocation in support of his leadership of UB's research efforts.

	Dr. Tripathi will be provided University housing at the University at Buffalo campus and will also have use of a campus-owned vehicle during the term of his presidency.  Moving expenses, refurbishment of the Presidential residence, entertainment expenses, and usual employment benefits are all standard.  Since Dr. Tripathi has already served in a tenured faculty and administrative role for almost seven years, upon termination of his presidency and return to the faculty he will be granted laboratory, administrative and other support of up to $50,000 for up to five years, in lieu of any additional leave time over the two semesters he will have earned shortly.  
      
      Prior to his appointment as Officer in Charge, Dr. Tripathi was serving, since July 2004, as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UB.  He is credited with improving the quality of UB’s academic programs, elevating many of them to greater national prominence.  During his tenure at UB, federally funded research has risen significantly and he has sought to enhance the undergraduate experience through signature experiential programs.  Dr. Tripathi has built upon UB’s vast global presence by establishing academic and research partnerships with premier international universities.
      
      Dr. Tripathi came to the University at Buffalo from the University of California at Riverside where he served, since 1997, as Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering and the William R. Johnson, Jr. Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering at UC Riverside.  He also served as acting Executive Vice Chancellor from March 2002 through June 2002.  Prior to joining UC Riverside, he was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19 years as a faculty member in the department included being chair from 1988-95.
      
      Dr. Tripathi has been the guest editor or guest co-editor of several scientific journals and a founding member of the editorial board of IEEE Pervasive Computing.  A member of the editorial board of International Journal of High-Speed Networks, he previously was on the editorial boards of Theoretical Computer Science, IEEE Transactions on Computers, ACM Multimedia Systems, and ACM/IEEE Transactions on Networking.  He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including an Honorary Doctorate of Sciences from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad; Distinguished Alumni Award from Banaras Hindu University; Fellow (elected), Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and IEEE Computer and Communications Societies; and Fellow (elected), American Association for Advancement of Science.
      
      Dr. Tripathi graduated top of his class from Banaras Hindu University in India and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Math, and Statistics and a Master of Science degree in Statistics.  He received two additional Master of Science degrees in Statistics and Computer Science from the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto.  He earned a doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.

	A copy of Dr. Tripathi’s curriculum vitae is attached.

	
Attachment

Board Resolution	-2-	April 18, 2011				April 18, 2011