The Future

As stated in the beginning of this proposal, we see the items outlined here as the first step in a major shift in how the Music Department operates at Columbia. Although no one can predict how the information revolution may evolve, we believe that we can play an essential role in the evolution. Involving ourselves at a fundamental level with new technology will allow us to shape our future function. The sample projects we have outlined (many already well advanced in implementation) taken as a whole represent one possible unfolding of this future. Our purpose, however, is to go beyond an infrastructure designed to support only these projects, for we believe that presently unimaginable uses of technology will become the elements of the future University. The only way for us to imagine those uses, and thus ensure a privileged position for Columbia, is to become fully engaged with the technology now. This proposal creates an environment to do that.

We also see this proposal as a first step towards realizing several other, longer-term (and much more ambitious) goals. If we enjoy the success we predict during the first several years of this proposal, we plan to use it as a solid foundation to launch an initiative to create a new Interactive Technologies Center at Columbia, involving a complete renovation of the Prentis Building and the 8th floor of Dodge Hall. Our vision is that this will become the touchstone locus of content and technology development in New York City (and indeed the world), with extensive ties to the media industry in New York and trailblazing involvement in data auralization and digital sound research. No such facility as we envision it presently exists -- the opportunity exists to give Columbia a significant comparative advantage in this area.

More immediately, we see this proposal as establishing a highly attractive context for new, target-of-opportunity interdisciplinary appointments and work. For example, we have been discussing with our colleagues in the Psychology Departments of Columbia and Barnard the possibility of pursuing a new appointment in music cognition. Such an appointment would bring an added dimension to our work, and would certainly help build valuable momentum towards the longer-term goals we have set. If our sense of growth in data auralization research is correct, we will be well-situated to attract additional talent to pursue extended research work with the Computer Science Department and Medical Center at Columbia.

We are also presently revamping our Music Performance Program, and many of the ideas we have put forth in this document can act synergistically to create a new kind of interactive/performance paradigm -- one that Columbia could pioneer. A large part of our grand, future dream is the construction of an experimental acoustic space (quite possibly at Prentis Hall) where this unfolding paradigm may be more completely explored.

These are only a few examples of what we can achieve. Ultimately, we are after the creation of a new type of "superlab"; a lab that is more an encompassing intellectual environment than a single physical facility -- an environment where interdisciplinary work is the norm, predicated upon the interweaving of creativity and technological expertise.

Again, the opportunity now exists to do this. We know that we are requesting a substantial investment in this particular opportunity. We are unable to gauge the cost in terms of other activities taking place within Columbia because we don't have a "big picture" view of those activities. What we can do from our vantage point is provide an assessment of the advantage gained through this investment. This can be framed by answering the following two questions:

What are the benefits to the Music Department?

The answer to this question is straightforward: we will meet the proposal objectives. However, it is important to recognize that by building a context now to realize these objectives, we are also establishing a mechanism to sustain the context into the future. We are also ambitious; we seek to go beyond mere sustainability to embrace a unique chance to play a fundamental role in the evolution of content-based technology.

What are the benefits to the University?

We see three primary areas of benefit for Columbia:

the creation of a new 'player' in an area of development (digital sound) that will see rapid growth in the next few years, and the concomitant chance to shape the unfolding of this growth.
the significant interdisciplinary aspects of the proposal can help to promote a new, cooperative paradigm within the University community. The establishment of this kind of intellectual work environment is critical to maintaining our status as a leading research University in the next century.
the Department can act as a significant test of technological engagement within the University -- we can become a large-scale "demo" of how technology impacts our academic mission. Through the evaluation of the results of this initiative, we can gain first-hand knowledge of what works and what fails as the University shifts to a technologized future.

While developing this proposal, we have tried to maintain a clear-headed view of our mission as well as the potential pitfalls in adopting new methodologies. We will be relying on talents within the Columbia community (most especially within the Office of the Provost) to assist us in evaluating the successes and failures of our plans. We will need to do more than just assess "market factors", and consider the goals we have set in determining what does and does not work.

It is difficult to refrain from excitement when imagining the possibilities, however. We are living in a time of tremendous transformation. Awareness of this fact gives us a strategic ability to participate actively in how the transformation is effected. It is indeed an unparalleled opportunity -- one we should not let pass.