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interim provost since the retirement
of Dr. Tommy Brisco as provost in
December 2017.
McNair and his wife Sandy have been
married nearly 30 years, and are looking
forward to their twin sons, Jordan and
Zachary, starting their freshman year
at HSU in the fall. Their family is active
at Abilene’s First Central Presbyterian
Church where Chris has served as a
deacon, usher and reader. He is also
heavily involved in community service,
currently providing leadership as the
vice-president of the Abilene Zoological
Society.
“I am honored and privileged to take
on this new challenge as provost at
Hardin-Simmons,” said McNair. “As
an alumnus, my heart is with HSU and
the Christian mission to provide an
‘education enlightened by faith.’”
McNair will oversee an exciting time
at Hardin-Simmons as the university
works to add numerous graduate and
undergraduate programs as well as
options for high-demand online and
interdisciplinary programs. His vision
for the university is one of conscious
growth while maintaining HSU’s unique
family dynamic.
“There is an all-hands-on-deck
mentality among the administration
to keep Hardin-Simmons as a growing
family,” he said. “We want it to grow, but
we want it to be very intentional. We
never want to lose focus on the reason
we’re here, which is to serve college
students.”
McNair is working to expand HSU’s
online education opportunities by
helping develop the university’s first
fully-online undergraduate program
and by expanding online and hybrid
graduate programs.
“I’m here to help facilitate the vision
of the faculty to bring us innovative
programs, to integrate technology
into the classroom, and to provide
opportunities for students to prepare for
meaningful careers,” said McNair. “One
of my responsibilities is to help our
academic areas provide cutting-edge
programs to train our students to be
successful out in the real world.”
McNair sees online education as an
extension of HSU’s Christian witness.
“There are many students around the
world who want a Christian education,
but they can’t move to Abilene, Texas,”
he said. “We want to offer them the
opportunity to get an ‘education
enlightened by faith’ from Hardin-
Simmons in their native country.”
Because of the increasing need for
healthcare providers, McNair hopes
to continue to grow Hardin-Simmons’
health science programs. He sees
the success of HSU’s new Physician
Assistant program and the continued
success of the Physical Therapy program
as testimonies to HSU’s commitment to
provide quality healthcare training for
students.
Along with his new duties as provost,
Dr. McNair plans to continue teaching
one class per semester.
“I think it’s very important in this
position that I maintain the pulse of the
student body and know what students
are going through on campus,” he said.
“Teaching allows me to stay connected
to both the students and the faculty.”
As provost, McNair works closely with
President Bruntmyer to set goals for the
university’s academic programs.
“I look forward to working with Dr.
McNair on many of the opportunities
that face HSU as we move into a
new period of academic innovation,
expansion, and growth,” said
Bruntmyer.
McNair says President Bruntymer’s
energy level is infectious.
“President Bruntymer motivates all the
Vice Presidents to give everything they
have for the university,” he said.
McNair’s love for Hardin-Simmons
motivates his dedication to his new
position.
“Every year has increased my love for
the university,” he said. “I feel like this
has become a growing family, and I love
being a part of seeing Hardin-Simmons
going forward in the 21st century.”
Dr. McNair’s passion in
the classroom makes
him a favorite teacher
among students. Even
though he has taken
over as provost, Dr.
McNair will continue
to teach one course a
semester.