Caroline Genco Named President of the State University of New York at Buffalo

Dear Tufts community,

I am pleased to share the exciting news that Provost and Senior Vice President Caroline Attardo Genco has been appointed as the 16th president of the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB). The first woman and Buffalo native to serve as UB’s president in its 180-year history, her appointment is effective August 10, 2026.

Provost Genco has been serving in the role of provost since August 1, 2023, and before that served as provost ad interim since January 2022. In her role, she has developed and worked to implement a strategic vision to further Tufts’ academic mission and chaired the committee that developed the Tufts Beyond 175 strategic plan that is scheduled to go into effect this fall. Across all levels of the provost’s office, Provost Genco has worked to build partnerships with schools and central units to further the development of new and innovative education and research initiatives to deliver on the strategic plan and support the schools and the deans to achieve their own ambitious goals. During her tenure, she has been deeply committed to advancing education and research opportunities across our undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools; advancing faculty recruitment, development, and support at the schools to propel our mission as a student-centered R1 institution; and furthering Tufts’ strategic aspirations as a preeminent mid-sized AAU research university.

Prior to her leadership of the provost’s office, Provost Genco served as the vice provost for research from 2019 to 2021, and chair of the Department of Immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine from 2015 to 2019. She is a distinguished scholar with an active biomedical research program and holds the Arthur E. Spiller M.D. Endowed Professorship in Genetics at the School of Medicine.

As she shares in her own message to her team below, this appointment at UB is indeed a homecoming for Provost Genco. She is a native of Buffalo and graduated from the SUNY system as a first-generation college student before going on to receive her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. It is truly an incredible accomplishment that this daughter of immigrants will be returning to her hometown to lead one of the country’s most pre-eminent research institutions on a campus where her mother was once a factory worker.

I will share further details about the transition and the search process for the next provost of Tufts University in due course of time. Today, let me thank Provost Genco for her steadfast commitment to furthering Tufts’ mission, for her hard work on behalf of our faculty, staff, and students, and for being a trusted adviser and friend. I am sure I am joined by many here at Tufts in wishing her all success and happiness in her new role at the University at Buffalo.

Best regards,

Sunil Kumar
President

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Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share that I have been appointed president of the State University of New York at Buffalo, effective August 10, 2026.

I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together over the past five years advancing Tufts’ academic strategy, and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have served alongside such dedicated colleagues. Your hard work, creativity, and commitment to the university’s mission have made our work truly meaningful and impactful. I am also grateful to my senior leadership team, the school deans and the Faculty Senate for their steadfast partnership and support.

This move represents a meaningful homecoming for me. I am a Buffalo native and an undergraduate alumna of the SUNY system, and the chance to return to the community and public university system that shaped my own path is both humbling and deeply personal. As the daughter of immigrants and the first in my family to attend college, I know firsthand the transformative impact that the SUNY system can have on students, families, and communities. I am honored by the opportunity to give back to an institution and a region that played such a foundational role in my life and career.

Thank you again truly for this journey.

Warm regards,
Caroline