As the Editor-in-Chief of this semester’s Mosaic issue, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Tiffany Sippial, the new Dean of the Honors College. I wanted to gain insight into Dr. Sippial’s vision for the Honors College and to discuss her experiences and perspectives on gendered issues in academia, focusing on this semester’s theme of women’s empowerment. Interviewing the dean of the Honors College can be intimidating. I’m just a student, and going and talking to the new dean for an hour sounds like it would be terrifying. However, Dr. Sippial could not have made a better impression on me. When stepping into Dr. Sippial’s office, you don’t see the office you expect. The dean’s office used to be dark brown, with furniture from the 80s and a very closed-off feel. Dr. Sippial’s office, however, is bright, welcoming, and open. There were trinkets everywhere from her many research trips to Cuba, which gave the office a nice personal touch. There was no conference table, and the desk was facing toward the door, giving the office a spacious feel. “I thought part of the optics of New Dean New Day is changing the space and creating an environment where we can do this,” referring to having a conversation without a desk in the middle of us. The combination of her office and her demeanor as soon as we walked in the door was enough to put my mind at ease.
Dr. Sippial is new to UA, joining our staff in July 2023. She worked at Auburn University as their director of the Honors College and as a professor of history there. Sippial’s academic journey has been a very interesting one, and she brings her experiences from her academic journey into her work as dean. She has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary Latin American studies, focusing on history and literature, as well as a doctoral degree in philosophy, both from the University of New Mexico. She started her career because a professor included her in a research grant, inviting her to attend as a research assistant during her junior year. The one condition was that Dr. Sippial would work on her research in the afternoons after supporting her professor’s research in the mornings. “I remember thinking, ‘What is my research? I don’t know what my research is,’ but she said, ‘That’s what you’re going to spend the next semester doing.’” Dr. Sippial praised this research opportunity as the pinnacle of mentored research. She now uses her experience to promote study abroad programs and research programs within the honors college, drawing on her own perspective as a student who benefited from these activities.
Dr. Sippial was reluctant to take on an administrative job due to her love of teaching and research. However, taking groups of students to Cuba helped her realize that if she could get excited about one administrative position, it would be leading an honors college. “This is exactly the kind of work that I want to be doing if I’m not going to be in the classroom all the time. At least I’m in a position where I’m facilitating a quality honors education for exceptional students,” she explained. She realized that administrative work is an opportunity to serve more students at a higher level. The high-pressure, high-shine work isn’t right for everybody, but Dr. Sippial found that serving the students and faculty is what makes this job worth it for her. She calls the student experience her “North Star,” helping her focus on the things that truly matter. “I put everything through the filter of ‘how does this serve students?’ And if I can’t answer the question, then I don’t do it.” It is important to her to stay connected to the students, so once she gains her footing here, she wants to get back in the classroom. “I hope it . . . breaks down that scary Dean at the desk, kind of like, ‘I don’t know who this woman is! She often wears a suit and seems kind of scary,” she explained.
When asked about her challenges as a woman in a male-dominated profession, Dr. Sippial gave me a stat that shocked me. “If you look nationally, only 30% of our executive administrative positions in academia are held by women.” This is, of course, a much higher number than when Dr. Sippial started administrative work in 2009; however, it is nowhere near where it should be. She talked to me about her research in regard to women in Latin America and the operation of power, and how she uses this to inform her work as a female leader. She acknowledged the many challenges that women face when it comes to being seen the same as male colleagues. “There are, despite the advances that have been made, still gender stereotypes about women’s capabilities relative to men.” We talked about how women have to work harder to find mentorship in their roles, how women constantly need to “prove and reprove” themselves where their male colleagues might not have to, how women are expected to not only take on just as much work as their male colleagues but also take care of the home, and how women are usually “voluntold” to do more work for free. Dr. Sippial stated that most service jobs with low to no chance of promotion are occupied by women, and while this work is very important, it is highly burdensome. Dr. Sippial’s observations shed light on the persistent gender inequalities that women face in both professional and personal spheres. The expectation for women to constantly prove themselves and take on added responsibilities not only hinders their career growth but also adds an overwhelming burden to their daily lives. Despite the progress made, it is crucial for women today to recognize the need for change and actively work towards dismantling these societal norms.
Dr. Sippial talked about plans to expand many leadership opportunities within the Honors College, especially when it comes to mentorship. She talked about a mentorship group she was in at Auburn and how she started out as a mentee and eventually became a mentor to faculty and students alike. She wants to pair women students and faculty together and place them in mentorship settings, whether it be a group setting or one-on-one. She also wants to implement peer coaching between students and hopefully expand it to include alumni coaching for students, whether over Zoom or in person, to mentor students as they prepare for their next stages of life. She also briefly talked about maybe implementing a speaker series, bringing women from both on campus and off campus to talk to current students about being professional women in their particular field. Dr. Sippial talked about the leadership opportunities already on campus, and she urges students to jump at any leadership opportunity they can thrive in. Jumping at leadership opportunities helps cultivate your leadership skills, as well as helping student organizations thrive and make them the kind of organizations that would help women. “Honors is what you put into it, right? . . . There are so many ways to get involved, but . . . it’s how you show up and lean into those opportunities.” She knows we have the faculty to support women; she sees that through their course offerings, assignments, and readings. However, the main point she emphasized throughout the interview is that if you have any ideas, you should share them with her. The change starts with the students. “That’s one of the key things for change: for it to be ground up.” By encouraging students to share their ideas, she believes that they can collectively create a more inclusive and empowering environment for women within the Honors College. She also emphasized the importance of taking action and actively participating in initiatives that support women, as this is where real change begins.
Dr. Sippial and I talked about her vision for the Honors College and how she sees it evolving, and she came back to me with bigger plans than I expected. “There’s no reason that this shouldn’t be the number one honors college in the country,” she said, noting that we already have a top-ten honors program. She talked about how UA has one of the most complex structures for honors in the whole country, which leads to a super flexible program. We have the biggest honors program, and it is incredibly well resourced. She has many plans to push us into that number one spot, including naming the Honors College, expanding our resource base, bettering Honors Hall, endowing all academic programs, and creating a strategic plan that provides “the map and the vision for the faculty, staff, and students.” She wants the Honors College to be innovative, and she emphasized that she means doing things that no one else is doing. She wants to push the boundaries of what honors education should be, and she doesn’t see it as out of reach. “That’s why I took the job. Because I felt challenged in the best sense of the word.” With a list of things to tackle, she is confident that, with time and money, we could easily reach that number one spot. She added, with a smile, “Top 10 isn’t good enough for athletics here, and it’s not good enough for the Honors College.” Dr. Sippial also gushed about what she loves about our Honors College. She talked about her experience in a small school and how her classes were super intimate, and everyone got to know each other on a personal level. She talked about how the combination of a small college feel, passionate faculty, the best and brightest students, and our state-of-the-art research facilities all combine to create an incredible environment in the Honors College. She told me about how families come and tour UA with a specific stereotype of what higher education looks like in the South and are surprised by how impressed they are with our honors program. She also loves how you don’t have to sacrifice anything to be in the Honors College. You can do any major, do any sport, take part in Greek life, and more, all while having the opportunity to be in the Honors College. “To have that kind of student life piece, research facilities, value, honors college, scholarships, it’s pretty awesome.”
Before I concluded our interview, I specifically asked if she had any words of inspiration. She did not hesitate in the slightest. She said that the best is yet to come. While it can be frightening to reach and push the boundaries of what our honors program can offer, it can also be incredibly exciting. “I think that there’s an opportunity for us to really set the standard in a new way, and we’re the ones to do it,” she said. One big piece of advice she gave was to be aggressive but patient. “Be aggressive in the sense of [speaking] up about the things that we want, but celebrate our successes. Be patient in the sense that understanding transformative change takes time.” Change starts with the students. She emphasized during this interview that she wants to hear the students’ voices to help grow the program. “Every voice counts. Every voice matters. Your perspective is valuable to who we are as honors. . . It’s easy to stand [on] the sidelines and watch things happen, . . . But it’s really important if you have ideas about things that could change, need to change, should change, especially if you have ideas about how to share them. And lastly, she encourages students to celebrate other students’ successes. “Keep your eye on the prize; even though we aren’t where we might want to be, we have come a long way. Doesn’t mean we give up, but supporting and lifting up one another is really important. So, those are my words of advice, and words of advice I try to live by, too.”
