Biography

Professor Emeritus Michelle Michael-Lippens has taught at SUNY Erie Community College since 1987 and has earned several prestigious awards for her teaching, directing, and dedication to students. She is the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for "Excellence in Classroom Instruction" in 2017 as well as a President's Award for "outstanding classroom instruction" in August, 2016. In May, 2023 the ECC Foundation awarded Professor Lippens the student-nominated "Outstanding Faculty Service Award" among other college awards and accolades.

Professor Lippens is also the author of several short plays and a musical based on The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (along with composer Joyce Grant for the International Musical Awards). In 2010 she won second prize in the "All Access Screenwriting Competition" in Culver City, CA for her feature film script entitled The Twelve Steps to Heaven. As an actress, Professor Lippens has appeared on numerous Buffalo and New York stages. Some of her favorite roles include "Nina" in The Seagull, "Scraps" in Talking With, "Ophelia" in Hamlet, and "Eliante" in The Misanthrope.

She has trained professionally in theater and also holds a BA Cum Laude and MA from SUNY/Buffalo in English/Theater. Professor Lippens is also a New York State Certified teacher for both elementary and secondary English. Her interests include travel, writing, yoga, dance, and film. Professor Lippens chaired the Humanities department twice, was the chairperson for both the appointments and reappointments committees as well as serving on the faculty/student association board.

Since her teaching career began at SUNY Erie, Professor Lippens has directed over thirty student stage productions including The Crucible, Taming of the Shrew, The Mikado, The Life of Vincent Van Gogh, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Persephone, Hamlet, Pick Up Your Hat at the Door, Shakespeare Unbound, Kilroy Was Here, Et Tu Brute?, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare's Inferno: the Divine Comedy, The Entire American Revolution in 50 Minutes Or Less, and numerous others. She also coordinated the annual Humanities Department Spring Arts Festival.

Education History