Statement from UB President Satish K. Tripathi Regarding the Appointment of Interim Provost Stenger as Binghamton President

University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi has issued a statement regarding the appointment of Interim Provost Harvey Stenger as the next president of Binghamton University.

Dear University Community:

I am writing to share a very important announcement regarding our university and SUNY communities.

This afternoon, upon the recommendation of SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved the appointment of our own Dr. Harvey Stenger as the next president of Binghamton University, effective Jan. 1, 2012. While he will be missed tremendously by our entire university community, this prestigious appointment is richly deserved recognition of his remarkable vision and the depth and breadth of his leadership and expertise. These are all qualities that we have come to know very well during Harvey's service at UB, and I am confident that they will distinguish him as an exceptional president at our sister SUNY institution.

As you know, Harvey has been serving with great distinction and dedication as interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs since April 2011. Under his leadership, UB's academic enterprise continues to make impressive strides forward as we pursue our long-range institutional vision of excellence. I am deeply grateful for Harvey's wise counsel, clarity of vision, and impressive leadership -- both throughout his outstanding tenure as dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences from 2006-2011, and in his most recent capacity as interim provost. While I am very sorry to see him leave UB, I am thrilled to continue working with him as a presidential colleague at our fellow university center at Binghamton. I know I am joined by all of Harvey's colleagues and friends at UB in expressing my heartfelt thanks for his exemplary contributions over the years, and my warmest wishes for every success in this important new leadership role.

As UB continues its international search for our next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Harvey's leadership has left us very well positioned to build on our strong academic foundation. The work of the Provost Search Committee is progressing well, and we continue to anticipate that we will conclude this search by the spring semester to allow the new provost to be in place starting summer 2012.

In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Bruce McCombe has agreed to serve as interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs throughout this transitional period. Bruce has played an integral leadership role in our academic community, as illustrated through his outstanding contributions to our faculty as SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and through his exemplary service in a number of administrative leadership roles -- including his role as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2006-11 and his service as dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education from 2005-06. I am grateful for his willingness to serve in this important leadership role on an interim basis.

I look forward to working with Interim Provost McCombe -- and with our entire university community -- to continue our forward momentum as UB moves further up the ranks of the nation's leading research universities.

Sincerely,

Satish K. Tripathi

President