John V. Pavlik is the executive director of The Center for New Media at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he is also a professor. He is a senior fellow of the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Previously, he served as the founding director of the School of Communication at San Diego State University. He is the former associate director for Research and Technology Studies at The Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University. Pavlik's books include New Media Technology: Cultural and Commercial Perspectives, second edition published in 1998 by Allyn & Bacon. Pavlik has also authored more than a dozen computer software packages for education in journalism and communication, including "Fire!" and "Fatal!" Pavlik holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in mass communication from the University of Minnesota. He was graduated in 1978 from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.