Sippial Named Dean of UA Honors College

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Tiffany Sippial has been named the next dean of The University of Alabama Honors College and will begin her tenure July 5.

Sippial comes to UA from Auburn University after serving five years as director of the Honors College where she was responsible for the vision, mission and overall success of the college. She also served as a professor of history.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Sippial will be joining us,” said Dr. Jim Dalton, UA executive vice president and provost. “She brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that I am sure will lead our Honors College and its students to even greater heights.”

Sippial’s research focuses on the experience of women in Latin America as part of a broader commitment to the study of the operation of power in Latin American society. She has secured several prestigious research grants and awards including a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Grant, Coordinating Council for Women in History Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Award, and American Historical Association Albert J. Beveridge Grant for Research in the History of the Western Hemisphere.

Sippial published an award-winning book on Cuba in 2013 with the University of North Carolina Press and published a second book on Cuban revolutionary leader Celia Sanchez Manduley with the same press in January 2020.

A strong advocate for international student experiences, Sippial led the Auburn Honors College study and travel courses to Cuba. In 2019, she was awarded membership in the Auburn University Global Teaching Academy in recognition of her efforts to promote internationalization on campus. Earlier this month, Sippial was awarded Auburn University’s Inclusive Excellence Award in recognition of her exceptional commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion at Auburn.

Sippial earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and art history from Southwestern University, and Master of Arts in Latin American studies and doctorate in Latin American history from the University of New Mexico.

“I am honored and humbled to serve as dean of The University of Alabama’s nationally ranked and widely celebrated Honors College,” said Sippial. “This is truly a dream opportunity to support and empower people, foster new initiatives, and guide growth in a college already considered a leader in honors education.”

The UA Honors College is home to a diverse community of scholars and a leader in honors education and student engagement. Its mission is to recruit, retain and actively engage high-performing and high-potential students within a diverse community of scholars, and to inspire students to connect with others as they become critical and creative thinkers, ethical and empathetic citizens, and collaborative and inclusive leaders within their chosen fields of study and beyond.