University of Lynchburg’s 12th president assumes role

Seven years after leaving the University of Lynchburg for a leadership position at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, Sally Coleman Selden has returned as the university’s 12th president.

Selden assumed the role on Wednesday, succeeding Alison Morrison-Shetlar, who retired Tuesday after six years as president.

Before departing in 2019, Selden spent 18 years at the University of Lynchburg, serving in a variety of leadership roles, including provost, vice president for academic affairs, associate provost, director of the Master of Business Administration and Master of Nonprofit Leadership Studies programs and chair of the management program.

“The University of Lynchburg holds a special place in my heart, and I am honored to return as its next president,” Selden said in a March statement, when Lynchburg’s board of trustees announced her appointment. “I believe deeply in the power of this community — its people, its values and its mission — and I am excited to work together to support our students, invest in our faculty and staff, and build momentum for the university’s next chapter.”

She was selected after a monthslong national search conducted by a committee of University of Lynchburg trustees, faculty, staff and alumni. The committee was assisted by Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm specializing in leadership recruitment for colleges and universities.

During her time at The Citadel, where she served as provost and dean, Selden oversaw five schools, supported more than 3,800 students and 200 faculty members and chaired the institution’s fiscal review board. Working with The Citadel Foundation, she helped secure $300 million in campaign commitments to support the institution’s strategic plan. Under her leadership, sponsored funding increased 346%, with more than $10 million raised in 2025 alone. During her tenure, The Citadel saw record-breaking enrollment.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dr. Selden as our next president,” Kathryn Whitestone Goodman, a search committee member and president of Lynchburg’s alumni board of directors, said in a statement. “Her genuine love for this university and the years she’s already devoted to it make her the perfect person to lead us forward.”

Selden has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and a doctorate from the University of Georgia.

She grew up in nearby Appomattox, and her father graduated from Lynchburg College in 1961. Her husband, Frank Selden, will continue his work as a psychologist in Lynchburg.

Founded in 1903 as Virginia Christian College, the University of Lynchburg enrolls more than 2,300 graduate and undergraduate students.