Dr. Seth Hoelscher

Biography

Dr. Seth Hoelscher is a Professor of Finance and Head of the Department of Finance, Economics, and Risk Management (FERM) at Missouri State University, where he leads one of the university's largest departments by student enrollment — approximately 30 full-time and adjunct faculty serving roughly 1,500 students across finance, economics, risk management and insurance, business law, and general business.

Hoelscher joined Missouri State in 2016 and previously held the Dr. Robert W. and Charlotte K. Bitter Endowed Chair and the Daisy Portenier Loucks Professorship. His research on corporate finance, risk management, disclosure, and energy markets has been published in the Journal of Finance, Management Science, the Journal of Banking & Finance, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, among other outlets, and he received the Missouri State University Foundation Award for Excellence in Research in 2024.

As department head, he has championed experiential and industry-connected programs, including the Biz Bears Student-Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) and the financial planning program's acceptance into the CFP Board's Incubator Program, alongside partnerships with The American College of Financial Services and the Mid Rivers Risk Forum. He serves nationally as Vice President–Program Elect of the Southwestern Finance Association. He holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Oklahoma.

Details

Education

• PhD, Finance, 2016, University of Oklahoma
• MS, Finance and Economics, 2011, West Texas A&M University
• MBA, Business Administration, 2009, West Texas A&M University
• BS, Agriculture, 2008, West Texas A&M University

Teaching

• FIN 380/600 Financial Management
• FIN 384 Financial Markets and Investments

Professional experience

Professional Experience

Head, Department of Finance, Economics, and Risk Management, Missouri State University, 2025–present (Interim Head, 2024)
Professor of Finance, Missouri State University, 2016–present

Professional Affiliations:
Vice President–Program Elect, Southwestern Finance Association
Director, Southwestern Finance Association, 2024–2025
Editorial Board Member, Managerial Finance
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Finance Issues
Program Committees, Financial Management Association and Southwestern Finance Association Annual Meetings

Selected Publications:
Friske, W., Hoelscher, S.A., & Nikolov, A. (2023). The impact of voluntary sustainability reporting on firm value: Insights from signaling theory. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 51, 372–392.
Fernando, C.S., Hoelscher, S.A., & Raman, V. (2020). The informativeness of derivatives use: Evidence from corporate disclosure through public announcements. Journal of Banking & Finance, 114.
Hoelscher, S.A. (2020). Voluntary hedging disclosure and corporate governance. Review of Accounting and Finance, 19(1), 5–29.

Research and professional interests

• Corporate finance
• Risk management
• Energy finance
• Corporate disclosure
• Financial intermediaries
• Responsible AI adoption and academic integrity in business education

Awards and honors

• Outstanding Scholarly Activity Award for Empirically Based Research Paper, Missouri State University, 2025
• Missouri State University Foundation Award for Excellence in Research, Missouri State University, 2024
• Dr. Robert W. and Charlotte K. Bitter Endowed Chair, Missouri State University, 2024
• Public Affairs Award in Research, Missouri State University, 2024
• Daisy Portenier Loucks Professorship, Missouri State University, 2021–2024
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Finance Issues, 2022
• Highly Commended Award, Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards (Finance), 2019
• Best Paper Award (Distinguished Research Award), MBAA International Conference – Academy of Finance, 2019

Additional resources

• Mind's Eye Research - Reading between the data

Areas of Expertise

Media Appearances