Inspiring Hope
A conversation with psychology professor Nancy Hedlund, Ph.D.
By Kilei Nelson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tunes without the words
And never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson
Professor of Psychology Nancy Hedlund,
Ph.D., believes giving to higher
education serves a fundamental purpose:
inspiring hope.
Hedlund recalled feeling compelled to give
when university employees were offered
the option to support targeted areas.
For her, the ability to directly support a
program led to helping the international
music program, a cause dear to her heart.
Her interest in helping the university’s
music programs emerged after hearing
early performances of global music that
introduced performers and audiences to
music from around the world. Hedlund
recognized that the steady increase in
student participation was an excellent
indicator of the quality and value of these
extracurricular programs.
“As a social psychologist, I have long
been committed to the idea that colleges
and universities should seriously
engage with their communities and the
world. This commitment links two core
beliefs: that the university should be a
good citizen in its community and that
student engagement in the university’s
community creates hope in students
about their own futures.”
Humble in her generosity, Hedlund
agreed with reluctance to discuss her
contributions to HPU. Her hesitation
gave way to enthusiasm when she began
to share why she gives.
For Hedlund, her first university
donation began with investing in a
lifetime alumni association membership
at the University of Oklahoma.
Recognizing the gratitude she felt
towards her alma mater, she wanted to
commemorate the buoying hopefulness
she felt about her future.
“Giving to universities has been a very
personal thing — you have to have a
reason from within.”
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h p u to day
Professor of Psychology Nancy Hedlund, Ph.D., has
been an active supporter of HPU, helping to enhance
the university’s arts programs and in developing the
Native Hawaiian Speaker series.
Hedlund supports areas of HPU where
she feels personal connections: music
programs, such as the International Vocal
Ensemble and the HPU Orchestra; the
MerryAnn Jancovic Award in Psychology;
and campus programs on global
citizenship, such as the Native Hawaiian
Speaker Series and an all-day symposium
on community programs based in Native
Hawaiian culture and history.
In the spring of 2009, Hedlund was
again inspired to give when her best
friend, MerryAnn Jancovic, Ph.D.,
passed away. In addition to Jancovic’s
long tenure as a Hawaii Loa and
Hawai‘i Pacific University professor, the
highly-respected psychology professor
is remembered for her dedication
to serving others. To commemorate
the service-oriented professor’s
commitments, Jancovic’s sisters created
a scholarship awarded to psychology
majors “who have demonstrated the
highest principles of service to others.”
For Hedlund and others, giving to the
MerryAnn Jancovic Award in Psychology
is a fitting tribute.
UNIVERSIT Y FRIENDS
“The programs I have supported are ones that I saw as connecting students with community in a way that
enhanced learning and the development of hope.”
Hedlund’s inspiration to support the
Native Hawaiian Speaker Series came
from her realization that the most
enthusiastic students she encountered
over the years had significant experiences
relating to Hawai’i and the Hawaiian
community in one way or another.
Hedlund worked with Malia Smith
(MA Communication ’04), Ed.D.,
assistant dean of General Education
and Programming, to bring inspiring
Hawaiian speakers to campus. The
series engages students in learning about
Hawaiian traditions, values and practices,
and has attracted prominent Native
Hawaiian experts, including Puanani
Burgess, Robert Cazimero, Mapuana
de Silva, Pono Shim and Ramsay Taum.
This year, the series also grew to include an
all-day symposium on Native Hawaiian
culture and history. In March, symposium
participants learned about current
community projects that work to improve
the lives of Hawaiian people: such as
a newspaper project, in which original
Hawaiian language newspapers are
translated, and the “Prison Monologues”
project, that connects women in prison
to Hawaiian cultural values and practices
through creative writing.
The series dovetails with HPU’s Common
Book and He Ala Kulaiwai (the path of
the ancestors) programs, offering HPU
Getting to know Professor Hedlund
Since the beginning, the heart and career of Professor of Psychology Nancy
Hedlund, Ph.D., have been in higher education. She started her career in nursing
education, focusing on helping students learn how to talk effectively with patients,
and then shifted to research about how people and groups adapt to change. She
received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Columbia University and a M.Ed. in
Psychiatric Nursing from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has held faculty
and administration appointments at Yale University and the University of Michigan.
Moving to Hawai‘i in the late ’80s, she was Associate Professor of Research at
the University of Hawai‘i, Cancer Research Center, where she was part of research
teams that focused on coping patterns in women with breast cancer and increasing
community participation in cancer screening.
Hedlund joined Hawai‘i Pacific University in 1996 and was soon asked to lead
organizational changes designed to meet major higher education challenges
relating to program evaluation, learning assessment and planning. She teaches and
contributes to campus and community initiatives to support HPU community
partnerships that connect students with Hawaiian culture and history. Professor
Hedlund, mahalo for your generosity, leadership and service.
students a “sense of place,” a context
for learning and enrichment of their
student experience.
“The programs I have supported are
ones that I saw as connecting students
with community in a way that enhanced
learning and the development of hope.
And I have learned that small gifts are
just as impactful as large, because they
accumulate to fulfill big ideas.”
Hedlund encourages faculty and staff
to support the areas they most value,
regardless of the amount of the
contribution. The opportunity to target
an area in the university’s mission,
whether it is through music, scholarship,
or global citizenship, is also an
investment in what matters most—hope.
“Dr. Hedlund has played an integral role
in the success of the Arts at HPU. Her
constant support and encouragement
have facilitated and nurtured our programs
from basic beginnings into comprehensive
performing arts ensembles.”
Photo by Jeff Mallin
Teresa McCreary, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Arts and Humanities,
and Associate Professor of Music
The HPU Orchestra performs with Makana at the Spring Concert Series on April 20, 2013.
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