Bain-Selbo was selected following a national search. He will begin his duties on July 25.

The College comprises about 2,035 undergraduate majors and about 181 graduate students from the Departments of Communications Studies and Modern Languages; Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Sociology; English; History and Anthropology; and Political Science, Philosophy and Religion. The College includes two centers, the Center for Faulkner Studies and Center for Regional History, engaged in scholarship and research for the southeast Missouri region and internationally. 

Southeast’s CHSS Dean develops strategic and innovative partnerships. The Dean's role also includes supporting and mentoring department chairpersons and faculty; participating in outreach activities, such as in admissions, recruitment and retention; and supporting experiential learning with an emphasis on the scholar-teacher model.

“We are excited to have Dr. Eric Bain-Selbo join our team at Southeast Missouri State University,” said Southeast Provost Dr. Mike Godard “Eric is fully committed to and passionate about students and their success and to develop initiatives that meet the ever-changing economic needs of our global society. I am confident that his leadership and vision will serve the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the University well as we continue to innovate our academic programs and experiential learning opportunities for our students.”

Bain-Selbo said he is honored to be selected as Southeast’s next dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

“This position is a fantastic opportunity. I’m excited to be at an institution with such a strong reputation and delighted to be joining colleagues in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in the great work that they do,” Bain-Selbo said. 

He is looking forward to beginning his work with CHSS and the campus leadership team, he said. 

“Institutions like Southeast play a critical role in preparing students for professional success, life-long personal enrichment, and civic engagement,” Bain-Selbo said. “The mission of the University is incredibly important, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences has played and will continue to play a central role in fulfilling that mission.” 

Bain-Selbo has served as dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2017 at Indiana University Kokomo, where he supervised curricula, personnel and operations of seven departments; worked with campus, system-wide and community constituencies; oversaw online degree programs; supervised two art galleries; and managed a $4.2 million budget. He also served as tenured professor in the Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy. 

Bain-Selbo comes to Southeast with a wealth of experience in higher education and education administration, having previously served as head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University, and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Lebanon Valley College. 

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in comparative religious ethics from the University of Chicago, a Master of Arts in religion from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from the University of Tennessee. 

Bain-Selbo has published six books and more than 40 reports, articles and book chapters. He has presented more than 50 papers at professional conferences. He recently completed two terms as co-editor of “Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal.” His work on college football and religion landed him as a featured scholar in a 2019 ESPN documentary, “College Football 150--Football is US: The College Game.”

Bain-Selbo is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the American Association of University Professors, the University of Chicago Alumni Board, and the Society for the Future of Higher Education where he served as executive director from 2010-2021.