Alumni Profile: Psychological Study — Mary Washington prodded alumna toward profession
It’s challenging enough to teach a college-level course on statistics and research methods. But Marjorie Sanfilippo Hardy ’87 faces the added hurdle of overcoming students’ initial perceptions that the class will be, well, not so fun.
So what does she do? “I take a back door approach to get them excited about statistics,” said Hardy, an associate professor of psychology at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. She encourages engaging and real-life research, such as an examination of the impact of the private subconscious on snacking behavior.
“Such a project is ambitious for undergrads,” Hardy said. “But they become excited about the data.”
She added, “They soon realize that statistics is just a tool.” And it can be cool.
Hardy credits her creative approach to teaching to the late Christopher Bill, former Mary Washington psychology professor whom she described as “brilliant”; and Tom Moeller of the UMW psychology department, who served as her undergraduate adviser. “Tom was always there for me,” she said, noting that he met with her frequently to discuss her studies and her honors thesis.
“Mary Washington was definitely the best four years of my life,” said Hardy, 40. “I knew I wanted to teach at a school like Mary Washington.”
Hardy earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Miami (the day before her marriage to husband Scott; she insisted upon adding Dr. to her name before she added Mrs.) and accepted her first teaching position at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. From there, she went to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.
At Eckerd since 2000, Hardy teaches classes ranging from abnormal psychology to a course titled “Quest for Meaning.” The latter is a senior capstone course in which students consider philosophical and ethical approaches to such weighty issues as poverty and the environment. “It’s designed to get them to open their eyes and make a difference in the world,” she said.
Hardy clearly has made a difference to her students. She recently won the prestigious Robert A. Staub Distinguished Teaching Award, Eckerd’s equivalent to “teacher of the year.”
Hardy is uniquely qualified to address complex social themes. She’s conducted extensive nationally publicized research on children’s behavior around guns. “The bottom-line finding is that there is very little we can do to change their behavior,” she said, referring to the curiosity and impulsive nature of children. “We must supervise, no matter how much we think they may have been taught.”
Hardy herself is the mother of two elementary school-age boys. The older, Matthew, was part of an ABC 20/20 episode that showcased Hardy’s research. Matthew “played” with guns on the show despite being the poster child for Hardy’s “Don’t Play With Guns” crusade.
If her academic and family activities don’t keep her busy enough, Hardy spends her summers teaching teamwork and leadership skills to corporate executives.
If there’s a common theme in Hardy’s endeavors, it’s that she strives to help people live up to their potential.
“I want to make sure [my students] realize they have a lot to give,” Hardy said. During the Staub award presentation, Hardy was praised for her “cheerful positive attitude that . . . inspires students to say, ’She’s really nice but hard.’”
– Melissa Davis Haller