Christopher A. Pynes, Philosophy professor at Western Illinois University, has been named Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, effective July 15.
Pynes steps into the associate provost position after serving as Interim Director of Institutional Research since January 2024.
His responsibilities as Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Research and Institutional Effectiveness include Undergraduate Studies; School of Graduate Studies; Institutional Research and Planning; First Year Experience; Assessment of Student Learning; Higher Learning Commission liaison and re-accreditation co-chair; academic program review and accreditation; curriculum development; oversight of research and grants in Sponsored projects; IBHE liaison for curriculum; ex-officio to CCPI, CGE and Graduate Council.
Pynes was hired in 2005 as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He obtained tenure in 2014, and was promoted to professor in 2014. He has served in the Department of Mathematics and Philosophy since 2016.
Pynes has a distinguished record of service at WIU, having served five terms as Chair of the WIU Faculty Senate, co-chaired the Program for the Study of Ethics and has served on various other committees, winning a College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in service award in 2019.
Pynes' service to academia extends well beyond WIU. From 2005-11, he served as course director for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Sciences. For the past several years, he has been the co-editor of the internationally-recognized “Philosophical Gourmet Report” (PGR). Additionally, Pynes has contributed to the American Philosophical Association by serving on the Status and Future of the Profession committee, and he has held the position of President of the Illinois Philosophical Association from 2015 to 2017.
His teaching has focused on logic, ethics and the history of philosophy of science. He won the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching award in 2010, and he was recently interviewed by Scientific American about the logic of the Monty Hall Problem for an interactive online article demonstrating why you should switch doors when offered.
Pynes received his Ph.D. from Florida State University in 2003, his master's degree from San Diego State University in 1998, his bachelor's degree from the University of California in Santa Barbara 1996 and an associate degree from Santa Barbara City College in 1994.
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