F&M Stories

Professor Timothy Sipe is a devoted interdisciplinarian, whose extensive knowledge and abilities have been esteemed by his students and colleagues since his arrival at F&M in 1997. Professor Sipe’s research spans a wide range in temperate forest ecology, from spatial-temporal microenvironmental variation to plant physiological ecology, forest regeneration, long-term compositional and structural dynamics, and tree-ring analysis of forest growth and carbon storage. But his passion extends to a broader love of nature and literature, as exemplified by his American Nature Essays course, which students extol for providing “the chance to read beautiful narratives about fascinating aspects of nature” while honing their own writing skills. Prof. Sipe is highly regarded as a nurturing mentor who “really cares about his students,” and who intellectually challenges them “but is willing to help any student in any way he can.” Words that appear repeatedly in the descriptions of him by his students are “kind,” “patient,” “enthusiastic,” and “supportive.”

His departmental colleagues also hold Professor Sipe in high regard for his dedication to research, his detailoriented approach, and his commitment to his students in the classroom, the lab, and the field. His ability to combine his own research efforts with opportunities for students to grow intellectually is especially admired, and has extended through several decades of field research at the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site in Massachusetts, Allee Memorial Forest in Indiana, and several locations in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Professor Sipe earned his B.A. from Wabash College in 1978, an M.S. from the University of Tennessee in 1980, and a Ph.D. at Harvard in 1990. He was a professor at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota during 1990-1997 before arriving at F&M. In addition to his Nature Essays class, he has been a continuing contributor to core and upper-level courses in ecology and forest ecosystems, as well as a Forests, Wood, and Culture course for non-majors. Professor Sipe has contributed in diverse ways to both departmental and College governance, notably as Chair of the Biology Department for three years, followed by a stint as Associate Chair.

He has made significant contributions to the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science programs, including the initiation and development of both majors and service as chair of the Environmental Studies Program Committee. During the last decade, he has worked closely with Prof. Jeff Nesteruk in the Business, Organizations & Society Department, other colleagues at F&M, and external collaborators on enriching the relationships between liberal arts and business education, including the role of the natural sciences in this endeavor. This work has included organization of two conferences hosted by F&M (2017, 2023) involving participants from numerous liberal arts institutions and the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program.

During his time at F&M Prof. Sipe has been an exemplar of an engaged and committed professor – his thoughtfulness, capabilities, and concern for others have been a constant resource and inspiration for his colleagues and students, and he will be missed.