New VP named

DIANA GRIER AYTON | Music professor Bruce Pennycook got good news and bad news recently. The good news is that he has been appointed to the newly-created post of Vice-Principal (Information Systems and Technology). The bad news is that his term begins right in the middle of his sabbatical. Reached in Mexico, Pennycook says he is well aware that real challenges await him when he takes office in January. "Injecting new technologies into the University poses some very special hurdles. We have to design and implement systems which provide services for the undergraduate, graduate and part-time student communities; systems which can help professors and instructors augment their classroom activities; powerful research facilities which complement the goals and work methods of a diverse community of scholars; and finally, systems which may lead to innovative products or services for other institutions." Principal Shapiro chaired the selection committee whose members were unanimous in choosing Pennycook. Says Shapiro, "One of the things I admire most about him is his capacity to engage people in serious discussion of technology issues without either patronizing or confusing them. He has succeeded remarkably in grasping and applying the positive aspects of technology in his teaching and in his research." Students' Society representative Liz Gomery adds, "He's a great choice from the student perspective. He's very positive and reassuring about how technology can help students." Pennycook, who trained as a classical and jazz saxophone performer, embraced computer technology in the early 1970s. Before most people even knew what a computer was, Pennycook was exploring computer generated music, beginning at the University of Toronto. After earning his master's degree, he embarked on a PhD program at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford where, says Pennycook, advanced electronic equipment was available to graduate students. "For example, in 1976, I used laser printers and e-mail to access computers in Boston from California over ARPANet, the predecessor of the Internet. At some point it became perfectly clear to me that digital technologies would replace most analog technologies. A good example is the audio disk, which has completely eliminated vinyl recordings from the marketplace." Pennycook was recruited to McGill Faculty of Music in 1987. Before that he had taught at Queen's in the Departments of Music and Computing and Information Science. Among his recent academic activities, is the development of a graduate program called "Music, Media and Technology" featuring two master's degrees  one in sound recording and another in computer applications in music  as well as a PhD program. He has also created a web-based presentation on Canadian composers and their works and a graduate seminar entitled "Music and Audio on the Internet." Though he says he performs very little these days, he does produce "one or two new compositions per year." When asked about his favourite kind of music, Pennycook says he prefers contemporary music and new jazz, but adds he doesn't like the word 'favourite' because "it implies art can be partitioned like flavours or TV sitcoms." Pennycook, who soon may be too busy to listen to or compose much music, says his first task "right after I find my new office" will be to meet with the heads of all the units that will now report to him. "I view this job as an opportunity to provide a clear focus for information systems and technology at McGill. The University can and must find its own 'best fit' for technology and this cannot be achieved without strong central guidance. "It is important to note that there are many very innovative and skilled people at McGill and having a central focus will help their initiatives to flourish through better coordination and resource sharing."