Professor Luc Vinet PHOTO: BERNARD LAMBERT, JOURNAL FORUM, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL

Next VP (Academic) named

DANIEL McCABE | When Luc Vinet was asked if he would mind being considered as a candidate for the position of vice-principal (academic) at McGill, he was surprised and flattered. "I thought it would be an interesting experience," says the physics professor from the Université de Montréal. "I viewed [being named to the position] as a remote possibility." Guess who got the job. On July 15, Vinet will begin a five-year term as McGill's new vice-principal (academic), taking over from the current vice-principal, Bill Chan. An accomplished researcher and administrator, Vinet was the unanimous choice of the advisory committee that was set up to select Chan's successor. "I feel confident that he'll contribute new insight and new energy to the development of McGill in the 21st century," says Principal Bernard Shapiro. Vinet is best known as the director of the Centre de recherches mathématiques, a position he has held since 1993. The CRM is based at Université de Montréal, but involves mathematics researchers from across the country. During the period in which Vinet has been at the helm, the CRM has increased its funding from granting agencies by 50%. The CRM is also a key component of the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems Network, a newly created Network of Centres of Excellence. In 1996, Vinet organized the Network for Computing and Mathematical Modelling (ncm2), a university-industry consortium that bands together seven Montreal-based academic research centres and more than 20 non-academic organizations. He has been the network's president since its inception. He is also the CEO of the recently created Bell Emergis University Laboratory -- a partnership between ncm2 and Bell Emergis, a division of Bell Canada. The lab's mission is to foster major new initiatives in multimedia research. Bell Canada has devoted $12 million to the project over the next three years. In all these organizations, Vinet has worked closely with faculty from McGill -- principally from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Vinet has 85 scholarly articles to his name that have either been published or accepted for publication in refereed journals. He has edited or contributed to nine books. "We were impressed by how clear a view he had of McGill as an outsider," says natural resource sciences professor Peter Schuepp, a member of the committee that chose Vinet. "He was able to articulate very well the challenges facing McGill, as well as the opportunities the University has as an international institution in a Quebec context." "He has an impeccable academic record," says mathematics and statistics professor Georg Schmidt, another member of the committee. Schmidt portrays Vinet as "a catalyst for creating very interesting partnerships among researchers from different groups throughout Quebec." Adding that Vinet has been an outstanding leader for the CRM, Schmidt says that the new VP "strikes a wonderful balance. He is very much a team player on national initiatives, while still managing to push for a leadership role for Quebec." Students' Society of McGill University vice-president (university affairs) Sam Johnston also sat on the selection committee. "I sit on a lot of committees with Vice-Principal Chan and I know that incorporating a variety of points of view is an important part of that job. Professor Vinet comes across as a huge consensus builder." Adds Johnston, "I was struck by his humility. He is confident, but he is also very unassuming." Schuepp agrees. "He is a very approachable, low-key individual. There's no posturing. You get the feeling that this is a person you can sit down and toss ideas around with." Vinet says his first priority is obvious. "In the months ahead, I want to get to know McGill as well as I can. I want to meet people from, hopefully, all the departments. "I have to learn the ropes and what the job is about. What I can offer is a good ear. I will be attentive to people and to their needs. "One direction that the University is taking -- and one that I agree with completely -- is to develop as a truly international university," states Vinet. "I think McGill is quite well positioned to develop in this fashion. This is a role for McGill that should be sold in Montreal and Quebec. French-speaking students have to find this aspect of McGill very appealing. I don't think McGill's strength as an international university comes across strongly enough." In fact, Vinet would like to see the University enjoy a higher profile within Quebec. "I think McGill should be more visible in the community. We don't always hear much about McGill in the [French] press. We should be hearing more about its achievements, its faculties, etc. We have to look for opportunities to become more engaged [in Quebec] by working with other universities, by building ties with industry, by looking for roles to play in Quebec society. "McGill is a great institution with a fantastic tradition. It should be cherished." On the academic front, Vinet believes that courses "should be, first and foremost, interesting and stimulating for students. They are our first customers. "We must make sure that they are exposed to the intellectual heritage of mankind and the latest ideas in research. What is being taught in our classrooms should be closely connected to the research being done and current advances." A promoter of collaborative research efforts, Vinet says, "One should obviously have a sense of pride in one's own institution, but you also have to be open to working with others. If collaboration with other universities or organizations can be to the benefit of all, we have to explore those possibilities." He is a proponent of universities working with the private sector -- to a point. "There is a lack of tradition in Canada for the involvement of companies in universities. In some areas, these links can be very beneficial. It is important to be relevant and often the best way to achieve this is to collaborate with those around us." These links can be advantageous for students, believes Vinet. "After all, at some point, our students will be working in the outside world and they should be equipped with the skills they will need. This is not a panacea though, and should not divert universities from their mission." Vinet believes that universities have a distinct and vital role to play in society, a role the private sector isn't likely to ever take on. "What I cherish the most is the intellectual life. We have to be connected to the world outside, but at the same time, the role of universities as ivory towers -- I mean that in the best sense of the expression -- must be nurtured. "Universities must be places where professors and students can take the time to reflect and think deeply about problems. This must be preserved. It's even more important today when the pace of modern life has accelerated so much."