In Memoriam: Dr. Patty Seleski

It is with great sadness that we share the news of our colleague Dr. Patty Seleski's passing on Friday, Feb. 27. She will be deeply missed across our campus community.

Patty joined CSUSM back in 1990, becoming just the second faculty member of the university's new History Department. She had earlier earned two BAs (one from Georgetown and the other from Oxford) and a Ph.D. in history from Stanford University. As an assistant professor, she immediately began shaping the History Department by adding new courses. She subsequently became chair of the department for more than a decade, mentoring faculty and staff and encouraging their professional growth. Her own scholarship ranged from research into the key role of Sean MacBain in the founding of Amnesty International to publications examining the experience of Irish women working as servants in eighteenth-century England.

In 2020, Patty retired and became professor emerita. She taught part-time on campus in the Faculty Early Retirement Program until last year.

Patty was a dedicated teacher. She taught at all levels of the curriculum, in multiple modalities and at all hours, offering high-quality courses that inspired countless students. Patty successfully brought her broadly conceived, international perspective of history into the classroom and was consistently one of the highest-rated instructors in the college. Her recognition as the General Thomas S. Jones Distance Learning Instructor of the Year by the U.S. Marine Corps is one of many testaments to her impact as an educator.

Patty was always a tireless advocate for students and was instrumental in making CSUSM a student-centered campus. She secured an AAC&U grant for "Shared Futures: General Education for a Global Century," and helped launch what is now the Global Studies Department. As program director of global studies, she developed a strategic plan to grow enrollments and hire new and diverse faculty. Patty later received a dual appointment in global studies and in history.

Patty was no less active in the college and the university as a whole. She served as CHABSS associate dean for budget and operations for three years. Her commitment to university service was reflected in her many leadership roles, including two terms as chair of the Academic Senate, multiple terms on the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and several leadership positions within the CFA, including CSUSM chapter president. Patty played a central role in the university's WASC reaccreditation as co-chair of the 1997-2000 Self-Study Steering Committee, even before she became a full professor. Patty received the 2009 President's Award for Service in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to CSUSM.

Outside of CSUSM, Patty was often to be found at the beach walking Gus, her beloved and enormous Labrador, or visiting friends in the company of Emile, her equally boisterous but much smaller Coton de Tulear. A voracious reader of both fiction and nonfiction, a connoisseur of fine food and wine, a rose gardener, a transatlantic traveler and a passionate champion of intellectual freedom, Patty loved life and learning in equal measure.

Patty's legacy at CSUSM - through her service, research and teaching - is profound and enduring. She was a source of new ideas, an enemy of complacency, and a catalyst for constant improvement and development. Moreover, Patty often quietly supported her staff, faculty and administrative colleagues in ways that did not bring attention to herself, but were deeply meaningful to those who received these kindnesses. She helped build our campus, and her influence will continue to be felt by the many students, staff, and faculty whose lives she touched.