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- Dr. Surrendra Singh
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Surrendra Singh
LB: Today is January 24, 2006. I’m Lou Bowers. I am interviewing Dr. Surrendra P. Singh of the Department of Special Education in the College of Education at the University of South Florida.
Thank you, Surrendra, for coming in and sharing your time and experiences with us this morning. I would like to start by having you tell us a bit about your personal and professional experiences before you came to USF.
SS: Briefly, I was born in India and experienced living and learning in a country with a long history of human social, psychological, and cultural evolution. Professionally, I received my undergraduate degree in psychology; master’s degree in applied sociology majoring in case work and community organization in working with exceptional students; and a doctorate in special education with practicum and field experience at the Neuropsychiatry Institute School and Fernald’s Clinic School at the University of California, Los Angeles; and completed post-doctorate studies at the New England Medical Center in the Department of Neuropsychology. I also completed course work and passed the Board FPPR examination with the Prescribing Psychologist Register. Currently, I am licensed psychologist in the state of Florida, a practicing consulting neuropsychologist, and professor in the Department of Special Education. I joined USF in 1967 and have served in different capacities.
LB: Now you, I’m sure you were the first international faculty member in the College of Education at that time. Was that the case?
SS: To the best my knowledge that’s true.
LB: You brought not only an international flavor, but you are also from the Far East. Your educational background is from there and at UCLA. My question would be how did you find when you first came in ‘67. We both came that year.
SS: How did I find the University?
LB: Yes, compared to UCLA, an established university on the West Coast.
SS: Very small. Everything was very small. The city, the airport, and the University were small. I arrived in Tampa in December 1966. The following day, I walked around the campus. There were only few buildings such as the Central Administration building, College of Engineering building, and the old Chemistry building. The place looked like a place with lots of land with a very small student body. However, the faculty was young and very active and engaging.
LB: There were some activities going on here, I think either when you arrived or shortly after you may have been involved in the Southeastern Material Center on Campus. Marv Gold and Jim Bernard, I think, were involved in that. You were involved as well, weren’t you?
SS: Yes, the center was not here at that time. It evolved. Len Lucito was chair of the department known as the Department of Exceptional Child Education. Marv Gold was program director. I came to USF, and then Jim Bernard came. Marv Gold started the writing of the project along with other faculty member including myself. I was the coordinator of Material Evaluation.