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- Dr. Ann Cranston-Gingras
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Ann Cranston-Gingras
LB: In the Carousel program?
AC: Carousel is the name of the center. Dr. Townsend heads it up and the grants are the LASER grant and the ECLIPSE grant. There have been several others.
LB: In your time here at USF what besides the migrant education program are you’re very proud of among those things you’ve done? What would be the individual achievements that mean the most to you during your time here?
AC: Yes, I would say probably the work in migrant education would be the most significant. I moved to Florida not even knowing anything about migrant farm workers other than having read The Grapes of Wrath in high school. And to have really been able to take this program from just an idea to something that it’s grown into today I think is something that I’m proud of. What I’m most proud of really is that I’ve been able to hopefully lead individuals in this work. At this point I really don’t have a whole lot to do with the day to day operation of any of these projects. I’ve been able to work with individuals who are very committed and have spent many years building these programs. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to lead those individuals.
LB: How many people are working in that program?
AC: It varies but probably close 12 to 15 people at any one time.
LB: Wow. I didn’t realize it was that large, so it has not only sustained, but it’s obviously grown over the years and now it’s not that it runs itself, but you don’t have to be there every minute.
AC: Right, like I said I don’t have a lot to do with the day to day operation. I provide a lot of the oversight for the operation, but I’m not interacting everyday with the students of the program.
LB: I always like to ask faculty about some of their memories or experiences that might be humorous or otherwise interesting here at USF that stand out. Do you have any?
AC: I don’t know how much of this you know, about the way that I ended up in the doctoral program. I’ll tell you the story about how I ended up in the doctoral program, and you can you use it as you want. I had been teaching prior to coming here. I taught in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, had a master’s degree. I was a master teacher in Connecticut. I moved to Florida and at the time when the Florida Teacher Certification Laws were different in special education with categorical certifications. I had been trained in non-categorical special education. I was told that if I wanted to teach here, I had to earn 24 credits at the undergraduate level, and I had to pay out of state tuition in order to do that. So I contacted the department chair and actually I talked to him on the phone. The department chair at the time was Augie Mauser and I was explaining the situation to him, and if you know Augie, then you understand the statement he said, “Well hell, why don’t you just come in the doctoral program?” And so that was really how I ended up in the doctoral program. I had actually started to take some classes but was thinking about it before we moved, but it kind of just all came together at the time when Augie in his matter-of-fact way looked at my background and said, “Hell, just come into the doctoral program.” It really made sense at the time, but I hadn’t thought of it as an option. So I always thought that was kind of funny, and he of course was a very strong supporter and mentor through my doctoral program and helped a lot in getting the migrant center and the projects started.
LB: What sentiment would you give to, or advice would you give, to students entering USF, either the University or in teacher education, today based on the experiences that you’ve had seeing young people grow into what their potential really is?
AC: I think probably the thing about USF that has really been important to me and has really helped me and I think that is unique is that we’re a young, growing university. I think the opportunities are tremendous. I think that when people come to USF they really can take advantage of the opportunity to do something new, to try something different and there are a lot of people willing to help with that. I’ve been at other institutions that maybe had longer histories, and it was a lot harder to get things done or to see things happen. I think at USF people have always been open to try new things, and I think that’s one of the things that’s made USF great….the willingness to take a risk. I think if the students are willing to take risks and to really think about where they want to be and how they can make it happen.
LB; I’ve heard that from a number of faculty who were initial faculty members. It’s interesting to hear from you who came on a little later. What was your first year here?
AC: I came in ’84 as a doctoral student. Even as a doctoral student in ’86-’87, I wrote a proposal for a federal grant, and it was funded. I had a lot of help, but to be able to do that at the time and just to have those opportunities, I think that’s a pretty unique situation.