St. Francis College Political Science Professor and author of several books on the United States presidency and political leadership, Frank M. Sorrentino, presented three lectures this spring s exploring different aspects of the presidency and leadership in America.

In the first lecture, Presidential Power on March 14, Dr. Sorrentino discussed the true limitations of the American Presidency and how its power is checked by the legislative and judiciary branches of federal government as well as the free press, democracy, and the variety of challenges that confront the nation (Watch Presidential Power).

In Leadership in America on April 11, Sorrentino looked at how American culture presents unique challenges to all who attempt leadership. Among the ideas Professor Sorrentino discussed are the conflict between individualism, democracy and a strong central authority and how the Constitution fragments political power in the U.S (Watch Leadership in America).

The lecture on April 25, The President and the FBI, previewed Dr. Sorrentino’s new book, Presidential Leadership in The Bureaucratic State. Using the case study of the FBI under Director J. Edgar Hoover, Dr. Sorrentino spoke about challenges to Presidential Leadership from the power of bureaucracies and how bureaucracies use their own resources to not only resist Presidents but to put forth their own agenda and interests (Watch The President and the FBI).

The series was held in conjunction with the Speakers in the Humanities program of the New York Council for the Humanities which received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Sorrentino is the author of five books including American Government: Power and Politics in America, Ideological Warfare: The FBI's Path Towards Power, Soviet Politics and Education and The Review of Italian American Studies. He also served as Editor and major contributor to The Italian-American Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of the American Presidency for which he has written twenty-one articles.

Since its launch in 1983, the Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with a diverse audience through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics. All Speakers events are free and open to the general public. Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.