Dr. Seth Selke Named Inaugural Holder of the Harold Searcy Brown Chair in Business

Wesleyan College is proud to announce that Dr. Seth Selke has been named the Inaugural Holder of the Harold Searcy Brown Chair in Business, a distinguished faculty honor established through the generosity of Stanford M. Brown and Dennis and Mary Beth Swearingen.

The chair was created as part of the donors’ transformational $6 million gift to Wesleyan College’s historic SHE WILL Campaign, supporting academic excellence, student opportunity, and long-term institutional growth.

“This distinction represents a powerful investment in the future of business education at Wesleyan,” said Wesleyan College Provost Dr. Melody Blake. “Dr. Selke embodies the commitment to mentorship, innovation, and student-centered learning that this chair was designed to celebrate.”

Dr. Selke, who has served Wesleyan since 2018, expressed deep gratitude upon receiving the honor.

“I’m still speechless,” he said. “It means so much to be acknowledged, especially by the Board of Trustees and by the college in general. It’s such an honor.”

Dr. Selke joined Wesleyan as adjunct faculty before becoming a full-time faculty member in 2020. In 2025, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Business and serves as the Director of Graduate Business Programs. As Director of Graduate Business Programs, he has expanded Wesleyan’s MBA offerings by establishing six new MBA concentrations, leading curriculum development and assessment, recruiting and evaluating faculty, and chairing the Graduate Program Council.

When asked what makes him most proud to work at Wesleyan, Dr. Selke immediately pointed to the students he has been able to mentor.

“It’s building those personal connections,” he said. “Our students know that they can always approach everyone on campus, from the provost and president to each faculty and staff member. I have students now who will reach out, saying, ‘I had you in one course four years ago,’ and ask me to write letters of recommendation for graduate schools, Ph.D. programs, or even job promotions. And I remember them. That’s something I don’t know if you always get at a large school.”

In addition to serving the students of Wesleyan, Dr. Selke is an active member of the Academy of Management, the National Business Education Association, and the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and serves on the Board of Directors for Restorative Roots, LLC. He also brings a global perspective through international teaching experience as a Visiting Professor in China, including appointments at Feng Chia University and Jinan University, and has presented research at national and regional conferences such as SEINFORMS, where he served as both presenter and track chair.

Wesleyan College is honored to recognize Dr. Selke as the first faculty member to hold this prestigious chair and celebrates the donors whose generosity continues to shape the future of the institution.