Camden Wood Selig named Athletic Director at Old Dominion University

Camden Wood Selig, athletic director at Western Kentucky University, has been named the new director of athletics for Old Dominion University, President John R. Broderick announced today. Selig, who will succeed retiring athletic director Jim Jarrett, will be introduced at a news conference on campus Friday, Feb. 26.

A native of Norfolk, Selig (pronounced SEE-lig) has spent the past 11 years directing the Hilltopper program, which has won 65 Sun Belt Conference championships since 2000 and a national- record 19 crowns over the past two years. He was a key figure in garnering support for the WKU football program's move from NCAA Division I-AA to I-A in 2007, and he spearheaded more than $100 million in new construction and renovations of Hilltopper facilities.

"Our athletic program, under Jim Jarrett, has enjoyed incredible success over the last decades," noted Broderick "The appointment of Dr. Selig ensures that we will not only maintain that success, but also provide our program with the direction it needs to continue to grow and prosper. His experience as a strong fundraiser, along with his personnel and business leadership abilities and his background in sales and marketing, made him a solid choice for our search committee.

"I would like to thank the committee members for their time and effort in conducting a successful search that ultimately recommended Dr. Selig."

Selig's appointment concludes a several-months-long national process by the search committee, chaired by Vice President of Development Alonzo Brandon. Committee members included: President Emeritus and Board of Visitors Professor of Economics James V. Koch, Board of Visitors members Marc Jacobson and Barry Kornblau, Intercollegiate Foundation trustee Carlton Bennett, Vice President for Human Resources Glenda Humphreys, NCAA Faculty Representative Janis Sanchez-Hucles and Senior Associate Athletic Director Debbie White.

Prior to arriving at WKU, Selig spent 11 years at the University of Virginia, the last five as associate athletics director for external operations. He began his athletics career in 1985 at Virginia Commonwealth University as an assistant athletic director and director of ticket operations. A graduate of Norfolk Collegiate School, Selig grew up in Norfolk less than a half mile from the ODU campus.

"My family and I cannot wait to join the Old Dominion family and play an active role in the continual and rapid transformation of the university and ODU athletics," said Selig. "We sincerely thank President Broderick and the many members of the search committee for the confidence they have shown in me via this appointment."

Since his arrival on the WKU campus, the Hilltoppers have been a mainstay atop the Vic Bubas standings, which ranks the Sun Belt schools based on their finish in the conference's 19 sports. WKU has claimed four Bubas Cups (2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008) and finished no less than second over the last eight years. The Hilltoppers have also won more individual Sun Belt academic honors than any other league school over the last five years, and every men's and women's athletic team currently exceeds the NCAA-required 925 Academic Progress Rate.

Under Selig's leadership, the WKU athletic budget grew from $5.6 million in 1999-2000 to more than $18.5 million in 2009-10. He has directed fundraising projects that have resulted in a $5 million naming rights gift, eight endowed scholarships for women's basketball and four consecutive annual fund drives exceeding $1 million each. Private giving to athletics grew to more than $2 million per year during his tenure.

Capital projects for facilities under Selig's watch included a $50 million football stadium renovation and expansion, a $33 million renovation to the basketball arena, $3 million in baseball facility renovations, $2.5 million toward a track and field complex and the opening of a Student Athlete Success Center, featuring computer labs, breakout rooms and study areas for WKU student athletes.

"In recent years, while tracking ODU athletics from hundreds of miles away, I could literally feel the excitement and energy level surrounding it reach an entirely different plateau with the introduction of football," Selig said. "This heightened level of energy and support surrounding ODU athletics was very appealing to me personally and professionally. Coupled with the numerous nationally recognized men's and women's intercollegiate athletic programs, the future for ODU athletics is exceptionally vibrant. I look forward to building upon what Jim Jarrett and the thousands of successful coaches and student-athletes representing ODU over the decades have established as a rock-solid foundation for our future at ODU."

Selig is a current member of the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee and has served as chair for both the Sun Belt Conference Athletic Directors and the Men's Basketball Committees during his tenure at WKU. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Washington and Lee University, a master's in sports administration from Ohio University and a doctorate in education leadership from the University of Virginia.

Selig will receive a three-year contract with ODU, and an annual salary of $250,000, beginning June 10.

Selig and his wife, Ellen, have three children, Lex, 12, Nick, 10, and Julianna, 6.