Although best known for her 1999 nomination as President of Germany by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), Schipanski held a variety of political and academic roles during her four-decade-long career and was awarded numerous honors, most notably the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1996.

After earning her doctorate in 1976,[1] Schipanski began her academic career as a lecturer in Ilmenau and, starting in 1990, as a professor.

[7][8] After her defeat, Schipanski remained active in politics and was appointed Minister of Science, Research, and the Arts in the cabinet of the minister-president of Thuringa, Bernhard Vogel, later that year.

[2] Schipanski was an ambassador for the New Social Market Economy initiative[citation needed] and has served as a member of the Presidium of the Oskar Patzelt Foundation.

[12] She temporarily served as a member of the board of trustees of the Körber Foundation[13] before leaving her post due to pressure from anti-tobacco activists.