A native of Montana, Michael Siddoway did his doctoral work in algebra and joined the Colorado College mathematics department just after earning his Ph.D. from Tulane University in 1988. He did however have previous teaching experience in Chicago high schools. In keeping with his egalitarian spirit, he landed a summer job on the grounds crew at the college before taking up his post as assistant professor. Siddoway's political awareness is well-known on campus; he became an active member of Amnesty International, championed the cause of custodians on campus, and regularly volunteered in the campus soup kitchen. He reads voraciously and has taught a general studies course on Africa.

In 1992, Siddoway teamed up with colleague Reinhard Laubenbacher from New Mexico State University to win a National Science Foundation grant for a young scholars workshop. In the summers of 1992 and 1993, he ran a three-week workshop for high school students interested in mathematics. The unique approach was to read original sources to motivate interest and understanding.

Siddoway became chair of the department in 1996 and worked tirelessly to bring in international visitors and minority scholars. Because of his efforts, John Fauvel (from the Open University in England) visited the college on a Fulbright Scholarship in the spring semester of 1999. He relinquished his administrative duties in the summer of 2000.

Considering his dedication to mathematics, it came as a surprise to the department, when Siddoway accepted a call from the Dean of the College to become Associate Dean of the Faculty. He began the new position in 2013.

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