Fresh out of Tennessee Technological University, Brice Bible had taken a job at a coal-fired power plant in Texas, where his boss lined up a bunch of engineers and asked, Who wants to work on this newfangled thing called computers?
He volunteered.
I'd never been west of the Mississippi River before (Texas Utilities) flew me in to interview
said Bible, who replaces Shawn Ostermann today, becoming Ohio University's seventh chief information officer. I still remember the angst I went through as a senior in college going through the interview process.
He chose the job at Texas Utilities because it had the highest annual salary of his job offers ' by $20. Bible will have a $210,000 annual salary at OU.
Bible, a Tennessee native, returned to his home state in 1990 to take a job at the University of Tennessee's Space Institute. He continued working at the university, eventually becoming chief information officer in 2003.
Despite the continual change that has defined his work over the last 22 years, Bible has done his best to keep up with his job.
Quite frankly I've learned a lot about technology from students in the last few years Bible said. He also reads Wired news, which he said is edgier than the academic magazines that make up most of his reading and makes him think about how technology affects daily life.
My family and I had to negotiate an agreement as to what I (did) with my Blackberry and when I (did) it Bible said, laughing. Although his most recent smartphone ' a Treo ' keeps him connected, it can sometimes be difficult to draw the line between home and work, he said.
Bible said he hasn't joined Facebook, but has considered it. If he did, bluegrass and jazz artists would dominate his profile's music section, but Bible said he doesn't have much time to watch TV, unless he's doing so with his daughter.
That's how he's come to know all the dance steps to High School Musical, Bible said.
Bible's wife, Chele, and 10-year-old daughter, Anna Rose, will join him in Athens during late May, when the school year ends. His two college-aged sons Josh and Matthew attend the University of Tennessee. Bible said he hopes that his son Matthew will transfer to OU to continue his studies in engineering.
An apartment in Bromley Hall will be Bible's temporary home until he finds a house in Athens.
17
Archives
Dave Hendricks
200704164209midsize.jpg
Bible replaces Ostermann, becomes OUG
