Geo Sipp earns Award for Excellence

By Shane George

Geo Sipp was sitting at the drawing board concentrating on his latest work when he received a call from Dr. Cynthia Heider telling him he had been selected as this year’s recipient for the Governor’s Award of Excellence in Education.

Heider, associate provost and vice president of academic and student affairs, was on of the committee members who chose Sipp. Other members of the committee included the Faculty Senate President, Dean of Professional Studies, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Interim Dean of the Steven L. Craig School of Business.

Sipp was selected from Western faculty members who received the James V. Mehl Award, Jesse Lee Myers Award or the Governors Distinguished Professor Award during the last three years.

Sipp had no idea he would get this award.

“It caught me completely by surprise, ” Sipp said. “Of course I’m extremely flattered people felt that I was deserving of such consideration.”

Sipp will accept his award at a ceremony to be held in Jefferson City on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The ceremony is sponsored by the Council on Public Higher Education

Sipp has worked in many different mediums and has had his artwork displayed in several galleries.

“One of the great things about my job is that I get to bounce around the studio and work in different media,” Sipp said ” I paint, draw, make prints, I like being conversant in diverse media.”

Department chair Allison Sauls was happy for Sipp.

“We were thrilled,” Sauls said “Geo is an easy person to work with, he gets things done.”

Sauls also praised Sipp on his teaching skills

“Geo is a really good teacher,” Sauls said “He is a self starter.”

Past Missouri Western recipients include Dr. Michael Cadden, Dr. Ben Caldwell, and Dr. Ann Thorne

Thorne who received her award in 2007 was happy for Sipp.

“I am really glad for Geo, He is a great guy, and does wonderful work,” Thorne said “he had his work displayed at the Albright about a year ago”

Sipp has been a professor in the art department at Missouri Western since 2001. Before he came to Missouri Western he spent nine months as the visiting professor of art at Georgia Southern University. Sipp also has real world experience working as an illustrator in both New York and Atlanta for the 15 years before that.