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Dr. Sangeeta Singg: A Calling to Teach

October 15, 2012

Dr. Sangeeta Singg has been touching the lives of her students, and through them the surrounding community, for more than three decades.

A member of the ASU psychology faculty since 1981, Singg’s dedication to her students was recognized by the ASU Alumni Association, which honored her with its 2012 Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award. The award is especially meaningful to Singg because it is given by former students.

“I consider my job a calling and educational ministry that allows me to touch people’s lives,” she said.

In nominating Singg for the award, her department head Dr. William B. Davidson stated, “Dr. Singg’s record of service to the university, the department, the community and the profession personifies the department mission, which underscores our commitment to apply psychology in the pursuit of responsible citizenship roles and to share knowledge and expertise with others outside the university. Her record of service accomplishments is best described as extensive, consistent, selfless and impactful.”

“Everyone has potential, and I want to help them find their niche.”

Dr. Sangeeta Singg

Awards, though, are not what keep Singg working in the classroom. She gets her highest degree of satisfaction by seeing her students go on to successful careers. To that end, she started her department’s Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) program and directed the graduate Counseling Psychology program until 2011. She is now developing and teaching online courses in health, human sexuality and counseling psychology.

“Because of my recent involvement in distance learning, my classroom has expanded to cyberspace and my reach has been extended,” Singg said. “I am really enjoying how technology has enabled me to reach students beyond the conventional classroom setting.”

She has also directed 77 master’s theses, 51 research courses and four Carr Research Scholarship projects, and has made 48 peer-reviewed presentations at professional meetings—all geared toward preparing students for their future careers, many of them in San Angelo.

“If you go to any mental health agency in this town,” Singg said, “two-thirds of it is filled with my former students. I have supervised over 200,000 internship hours and have never had any threats of malpractice. That is most satisfying.”

“If a student asks me what they can do,” she added, “I tell them they can do anything that anybody else can. Everyone has potential, and I want to help them find their niche.”

Outside her brick-and-mortar and online classrooms, Singg has also found satisfaction in conducting her own psychology research. She has been published 34 times, including peer-reviewed articles for professional journals and contributions to four books. Her many areas of interest include student personal responsibility in relation to the many aspects of student life, the effects of music and food on mood and performance, child abuse, biofeedback and spirituality, among others.

Another source of satisfaction for Singg is her long-term involvement with the American Heart Association (AHA) and Psychological Association of Greater West Texas (PAGWT).  She is the local AHA chapter board president and PAGWT president.

A native of the Punjab state of India, Singg came to the U.S. at age 17. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Punjab University, master’s degrees from Mississippi State University and Texas A&M-Commerce, and a doctorate in psychology from Texas A&M-Commerce. She is also a licensed psychologist in the State of Texas. She and her husband of 27 years, Charles Williams, have a son, Raj.

In her limited spare time, Singg enjoys painting, knitting, sewing, music, floral photography, and cooking and eating Indian food.