Francis T. McAndrew Ph.D.
Social Psychologist
about me -
PROFESSIONAL TRIVIA:
*I taught at Knox College for 46 years, and in the almost 200-year-history of Knox, only four professors served longer. I still teach an occasional course in retirement.
*When I am not teaching or conducting psychology experiments, I write for the average person-on-
the-street. I am especially interested in the psychology of everyday life, so I cover topics as diverse as
why we grieve so deeply over the death of our dogs, why old people hate new music, and why haunted
*I appeared in more than a half-dozen documentary films. Click HERE to see a trailer from the most
recent one, HERE for another recent one, and HERE and HERE to see trailers from earlier documentary
appearances.
*In October of 2025, I gave a TEDx Talk in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I was excited to have this talk
selected as an "Editor's Pick" by the powers-that-be at TED.com; fewer than one TEDx talk in a thousand
gets chosen for this honor. Click HERE to watch the video of my talk. Below, there is a picture of me
taken shortly before I went onstage. By clicking on the picture, you can see photos & Bios for each of
the speakers at this conference.
(The photo is courtesy of "the Girl in Overalls Photography" & TEDxArlington Heights.)
*I had the distinct privilege of serving as Stephen Colbert's host and introducing him when he delivered
the 2006 commencement address at Knox College.
*I was always deeply engaged with the day-to-day life of the college. Among many other things, I
coached the wrestling team, founded the environmental studies department, worked with the McNair
Scholars Program, and organized the annual Flunk Day softball game. My family and I even lived in the
dormitories for four years as Residence Hall Directors.
Learn more about my professional journey on the
PERSONAL TRIVIA:
*I was born on a U.S. military base in Germany and I grew up in the anthracite coal region of
Northeastern Pennsylvania. I also lived in Maine for five years, and I currently reside on the prairie in
*I am the oldest of five children and I attended Catholic Schools for 17 years.
*I was a wrestler in high school and college, and many of my students and colleagues are unaware that I
masqueraded as a college wrestling coach for over 30 years, with 12 years as a head coach.
*Like most people of my generation and socioeconomic background, I worked at a series of part-time and
summer jobs throughout high school and college, starting at the age of 14. My first paying gig as a
kid was in a Circus, and I was last employed outside of Academia as a Bank Teller.
*My wife (Maryjo) and I have two grown children (Tim & Maura), one teenage grandchild (Colleen), and a
dog named Audrey Hepburn.
*Click HERE to see pictures of whitewater rafting in Costa Rica, and click on the elephant to see pictures
of an elephant attacking my car in South Africa.
Research Interests
Social Psychology
Education
B.S. in Psychology (1974 - magna ignoramus)
(with a concentration in English Literature)
The founding mission of King's College
was "to educate the sons of coal miners."
A video history of King's College
West Side Central Catholic High School
Kingston, Pennsylvania (1966-1970)
(now defunct)
Miscellaneous Dabbling
Animal Behavior
Clinical, Happiness, & Health Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Personality
Sport Psychology
Teaching of Psychology
