Prof. Luc Vinet is McGill's new VP (Academic)
McGill Universitys Board of Governors yesterday approved the appointment of Professor Luc Vinet to the post of Vice-Principal (Academic). Professor Vinet, a physicist from Université de Montréal, will begin his five-year term on July 15, 1999.
"It is always exciting when the University can attract new talent to its professorial staff and its particularly gratifying to welcome Professor Vinet to the post of Vice-Principal (Academic)," said Principal Bernard J. Shapiro. "I feel confident that hell contribute new insight and new energy to the development of McGill University in the 21st century."
The Advisory Committee for a Vice-Principal (Academic) was composed of Board of Governors representatives Mrs Marcia (Kappy) Flanders, Ms Gail Johnson, Mr Adrien Pouliot, and Mr Gérard Veilleux; Senate representatives Professor John Hall, Professor Robert MacKenzie, Professor Peter Schuepp and Professor Georg Schmidt; Students Society of McGill University representative Ms Sam Johnston; Post-Graduate Students Society representative Mr Simon Thomas; Principal Shapiro (chair) and Ms Pauline Nesbitt (secretary). Professor Vinet was the Advisory Committees unanimous first choice.
"We were impressed by how clear a view he had of McGill," said Professor Peter Schuepp. "He was able to articulate the challenges facing McGill, as well as the opportunities the University has as an international institution in a Quebec context."
"One should obviously have a sense of pride and loyalty to ones own institution," said Professor Vinet. "But one also has to be open to working with others. If collaboration with colleagues at other universities or other organizations can be to the benefit of all, we have to explore those possibilities." Professor Vinet added that academic programs must constantly be updated and adapted to the needs of society. "Things are constantly evolving. What was once an advanced topic might now be taught at an introductory level. Courses should be, first and foremost, interesting and stimulating for students. They are our first customers."
Professor Vinet graduated with a BSc Honours in Physics from Université de Montréal in 1970. In 1974, he received an MSc in theoretical physics from Université de Montréal. Five years later, he earned a doctorate in theoretical physics from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), and in 1980 he received a PhD in theoretical physics from Université de Montréal. He was a research associate at MITs Center for Theoretical Physics from 1980 to 1982. He returned to MIT in 1987 as a visiting scientist. Since 1982, he has been on faculty at Université de Montréal, becoming an Associate Professor in 1988. Between 1982 and 1992, he held an NSERC University fellowship, and from 1987 to 1988, he taught in the department. He held an appointment as visiting professor at UCLA, Physics Department, from 1989 to 1990. Since 1992, he has held the position of full professor in Université de Montréals Department of Physics.
In 1993, Professor Vinet became the director of the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM), a national institute for research in the mathematical sciences. As director of CRM, he is a member of the board and steering committee of MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems), one of the three recently funded Networks of Centres of Excellence. In 1996, he founded and was appointed president of the Network for Computing and Mathematical Modelling (ncm2), a university-industry consortium. Recently, Vinet was named CEO of a joint venture between ncm2 and Bell Canada that will create a laboratory for multimedia research.
