Scholars Stories: Another Year Mer Seltzer to Ross School of Business
By Erin O’Hara
Helping people is the main focus in the life of a graduate-student tight end at the University of Michigan. Carter Selzer. Whether it’s throwing blocks on the field to set up big plays for his teammates or working with the anesthesiologist team on campus to streamline insurance payments and reduce waste, Selzer looks for ways to make an impact.
Selzer completed his undergraduate degree at Michigan’s School of Kinesiology, where he majored in exercise science and earned three Academic All-Big Ten honors. He saw this as the best way to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor to help more people.
“I wanted to be a doctor, but I’m still weighing my options,” Selzer said. “I’ve learned that I can use my gifts in more ways than just treating people.”
However, during his time in graduate school in the master’s of management program at Ross Business School, which is ranked 10th for graduate programs, he learned that the sixth-year tight end can help in more ways than one.
“I really like[Rose]because it helps me see what’s available, especially with the great faculty and staff,” Selzer said.
Ross’s curriculum has helped broaden Selzer’s vision of what he can look like after football, but he’s not ready to hang up his cleats just yet.
“I’m taking advantage of every day I can here,” he said. “I’m playing football and trying to keep the stuff as long as possible.”
The decision to return to Michigan and play for the Wolverines was a no-brainer for Selzer. After Covid-19 cut short the Wolverines’ 2020 season, he knew he would donate the block until the NCAA cleared him to play anymore.
“I want to play until someone else tells me I can’t,” Selzer said. “After the cancellation of the 2020 season, I was really worried, and I felt like something special was taken away from me.”
This decision to return to the Maize and Blue benefited the tight end greatly. In the 2021 Big Ten Championship game, UM defeated UM 42-14 to make its first College Football Playoff appearance as a fifth-year player.
Selzer is also making an impact on the field this year as a graduate student, playing in all seven games so far and helping his Wolverine teammates make key plays.
A strong desire to help not only drives Selzer’s work, but also in his daily life. He strives to help his fellow tight ends and prides himself on making sure they all know the playbook and are ready for the next day of practice. His unwavering commitment to the team has not gone unnoticed — he was offered a scholarship prior to the 2021 season due to his strong focus on the team.
Excellent at teamwork, it’s a trait Selzer learned on the gridiron that he’s been able to seamlessly incorporate into the classroom. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork at Ross, so the ability to be a successful leader while also being a learner is something that has helped the tight end in the Ross classroom.
“Everybody in my program right now is very active, high energy and everybody is very bright,” he said. “They are very good at getting things done and it’s exciting to be a part of this team at Ross.”
Selzer’s success in the classroom and on the field is a testament to what it means to be a Michigan student-athlete, which is one of the main reasons he chose to attend the University of Michigan.
“I love Michigan,” he said. “They really have the best combination of athletics and academics in the country, and when they decided where to go, it was really a no-brainer.”
