When reflecting on his approach as provost, Benoit-Antoine Bacon emphasizes the importance of stewardship.

“I think leadership and stewardship need to go hand in hand. There is a crucial element of care involved in stewardship,” says Queen’s new provost and vice-principal (academic). “When you look at an institution like Queen’s, with a 175-year history, you need to look at it in terms of caring – for the traditions, for the strengths. And part of that caring is to make sure we remain relevant over time. We should all feel like stewards of the university and its future success.”

Dr. Bacon, who began as provost this month and is a member of the Psychology department, is deeply passionate about the inner workings of the human brain and how we “see” the world – what is called visual neuroscience, or how our brain reconstructs visual reality.

Without a doubt, decades in psychology, the science of human thought and behaviour, provides insight into how to best steer a large and complex institution.

“I loved my studies, I love being a professor of psychology, and I think it’s very useful in everything I do,” says Dr. Bacon, who has held professorships and lead administrative roles at Concordia University and Bishop’s University.

Early in his career, Dr. Bacon played a role in navigating Bishop’s out of difficult times, when low enrolment, labour unrest, and financial issues sent the university into crisis. “That experience showed me that this kind of stewardship matters. We are here to create an optimal space, where faculty, staff, and students can do their best work,” says Dr. Bacon.

By ‘we,’ Dr. Bacon means the entire Queen’s administration, but more specifically the work he will do alongside Principal and Vice-Chancellor Daniel Woolf.

“Daniel is an impressive leader with a strong vision, and his tenure of seven years and counting as principal speaks to that,” says Dr. Bacon. “It is important in any institution to have a principal and provost who complement each other and are aligned in their thinking. I am very confident that Daniel and I have that.”

Experimentation and a shifting landscape

Regarding his research, Dr. Bacon talks of how every image the brain sees is filtered twice – first by our perceptual, sensory systems, our eyes and complete physiology – and second, cognitively, through the mental processes and accumulated images used to make sense of what we see.

“Top-down, cognitive input impinges on our perceptions and shapes them,” he says, going on to explain how creativity is essentially the ability to suspend the obvious interpretation of the world and go with alternative interpretations.

That ability to suspend the obvious interpretation is important at the university, where Dr. Bacon says experimentation is and will be essential for continued success.

“One of the things that attracted me here was Queen’s very powerful combination of a strong research portfolio and a truly first-class student experience. Not many universities in Canada do both of those things really well,” he says.

“The challenge is how can we continue to protect and develop those two things conjointly, in full respect of the traditions, of the strengths, of the history of the university – and at the same time ask ourselves, how is the world changing and how do we adjust our approach and still stay true to ourselves while adapting to a changing world?”

In particular, Dr. Bacon sees great opportunity in increasing and progressing Queen’s digital and global presence – two areas that he says complement and influence each other, and strengthen other areas. “Digitalization and internationalization, especially taken together, will increase our ability to contribute to solving the burning issues of our time, whether diversity and inclusion, climate change and sustainability, or social justice, including access to education. And all of this together works to bolster the university’s reputation as a whole.”

Dr. Bacon emphasizes that the future requires creative thinking, and addressing the shifting needs of students – notably, students entering university around 2025, those who have had the richest immersion in the digital world.

“As the university’s chief academic, budget, and operating officer, I have the responsibility of making sure everything runs as well as it can. I look forward to working with everyone to that end, but I think just as importantly, we need to take a longer view, to five, 10, 20 years from now. What do we need to do today to be successful then.”

Key to that longer view is building on the direction that has already been established by Principal Woolf, including through the university’s Strategic Framework. The provost is grateful to the principal for the opportunity to be at Queen’s – at first word of the available position, Dr. Bacon knew it wouldn’t be something he could turn down, even though it meant leaving his hometown of Montreal and important partnerships in the city.

“I am really excited to be here – Queen’s is an exceptional place with a strong alumni community, great staff and faculty, and incredible students – they are a very talented and successful group who have always had a strong voice on campus and who stay engaged with every part of university life. I’ve already met with student leaders, including Rector Cam Yung, and I look forward to working together in the years ahead.”