Building Capacity: Presidential Honors
Dr. Gerald E. Gipp Scholar Exchange Program
Bio:
Dr. Gerald E. Gipp is an enrolled member of the Hunkpapa Lakota Nation from the Standing Rock Reservation. His academic credentials include degrees from Standing Rock Community College, and Ellendale State Teachers College in North Dakota. Dr. Gipp also holds a Doctorate in Education from Pennsylvania State University, with specialization in Educational Administration.
He has a very noteworthy career with administration, teaching, and coaching experience at the K-12 level in both public and Bureau of Indian Affairs school systems. Dr. Gipp served as a faculty member at Penn State, in the Educational Administration and Cultural Foundations of Education Graduate School. Honors include selection as the “Indian Educator of the Year” in 1984 by the National Indian Education Association, and “Outstanding Leadership & Service Award” by the College of Education, and College of Education Alumni Society at Penn State in 1995.
Dr. Gipp has served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, and Executive Director for the Intra-Departmental Council on Native American Affairs. He was the first American Indian appointed to the duty of Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Indian Education, Director of the American Indian Leadership Program at Penn State, and President of Haskell Indian Nations University. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), a non-profit organization committed to serving as the voice of the Tribal College and University (TCU) system.
The Dr. Gerald E. Gipp Scholar Exchange Program is a multi-faceted educational opportunity established to promote educational opportunities in academe. In addition to well-known academic exchanges between colleges and universities, it also serves as a capacity building component of professional development. Whereby, Gipp Scholars are encouraged, and provided with the opportunity to pursue post-baccalaureate degrees, through reduced teaching loads, and sabbatical leave.
