After an initial career as a professor of religion at the University of Virginia and Central Michigan University, Tipson entered academic administration. He served as Provost at Gettysburg College from 1987 to 1995. He served as president of Wittenberg University from 1995 to 2004 and Washington College from 2004 to 2010. He retired to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 2010 and resumed teaching and scholarly research as an adjunct professor at Gettysburg College.
