Joseph R. Fornieri, Professor of Political Science

Dr. Joseph R. Fornieri is Professor of Political Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Director of the Center for Statecraft, Law, and Liberty, a non-partisan organization that seeks to enhance the study of political greatness and responsible citizenship at the secondary and college levels. An award-winning instructor, Fornieri teaches classes in American political thought and leadership, rhetoric, political philosophy, and the First Amendment. Dr. Fornieri was a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, 1809-2009. The same year he was awarded a Fulbright as a Lecturer at Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic. He is the author of a several books on the Sixteenth President, including Abraham Lincoln’s Political Faith and Abraham Lincoln, Philosopher Statesman. He is also co-author and editor of An Invitation to Political Thought with his now deceased college mentor, Kenneth L. Deutsch. His recent books include: Free Speech: Core Court Cases, Abraham Lincoln: Core Documents and American Statesmanship, Principles and Practices of Leadership from Notre Dame University Press. A former High School teacher, Fornieri’s mission includes outreach to secondary teachers and students throughout the country. He is now working on a book comparing and contrasting the political thought and leadership of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. On the side, he enjoys cigars and plays in a blues band with his brother Peter and his nephew Joseph.