Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Michael Steele, Former Republican National Committee Chair, to Deliver 2022 Borgognoni Lecture April 4

Wednesday, March 30, 2022, By News Staff
Share
College of Arts and SciencesHendricks ChapelMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairsreligion

Can religious faith be compatible with public service? Should it be embraced, or feared?

portrait of Michael Steele

Michael Steele

To consider these questions, faculty, students and staff, along with the Central New York community, are invited to this year’s Borgognoni Lecture with speaker Michael Steele on Monday, April 4. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium, National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Steele will reflect on his life of faith and leadership. Both a former seminarian and former elected official, Steele is well positioned to explore this topic.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences, Hendricks Chapel and the State of Democracy Lecture Series of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In 2002, Michael Steele became the first African American to hold statewide office in Maryland when he was elected lieutenant governor.  In 2009, he became the first Black chair of the Republican National Committee.  He is now a senior fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

As lieutenant governor, Steele’s priorities included fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations. As head of the RNC, Steele led the GOP to a pickup of 63 House seats in 2010. A self-described “Lincoln Republican,” Steele was committed to grassroots organizing and party building at the state and local levels.

Currently, he is a political analyst for MSNBC and has appeared on shows ranging from “Meet the Press” to “Real Time with Bill Maher” to “The Daily Show,” as well as many others. He is an author and hosts the podcast “Man of Steele.”

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Steele was raised in Washington, D.C. Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1981, he entered the Order of St. Augustine where he studied for the priesthood. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center (1991), an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership and a University of Chicago Institute of Politics Fellow.

“We are very excited to host Michael Steele,” says Phil Arnold, associate professor and chair of the Department of Religion. “His voice has been one of the clearest coming from an African American GOP leader on the political challenges of our time. The Borgognoni lecture will allow us to appreciate how his views are connected with his Catholic faith.”

Brian Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel, says, “We are honored and delighted to welcome Michael Steele to Syracuse University for the 2022 Borgognoni Lecture in Catholic Theology and Religion in Society. Through his lived experience at the diverse and dynamic intersections of faith and public service, Steele will invite us to consider the emerging implications of our affirmations, which makes this a special opportunity in the midst of important times.”

Margaret Thompson, professor in the Department of History, says, “Michael Steele is excited to have the opportunity to talk about the relationship between faith and public service in his own life, and how faith has shaped his values and his political vision. In these often tense and polarized times, we believe he is an ideal person to reflect openly and deeply on these matters, and to contribute to ongoing conversation within our own campus and the larger community.”

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says, “Michael Steele has played a pivotal role in some of the nation’s most pressing political conversations about the composition and direction of our two major parties and has demonstrated the courage of his convictions. I’m keen to hear his reflections and delighted that he is visiting us.”

The annual Borgognoni Lecture in Catholic Theology & Religion in Society is supported by funds Monsignor Charles L. Borgognoni (a.k.a. Father Charles) established in 2007 in memory of his parents, Joseph and Amelia Borgognoni, to promote the study of Catholic theology and religion in society. During his 30 years on campus, he served as the Roman Catholic chaplain of St. Thomas More Chapel, raised $1 million for the construction of the John G. Alibrandi Catholic Center, and also served as the chaplain to the University football and basketball programs. He was a visionary, teacher, mentor and friend to students and faculty alike. Augmented with a leadership gift from Judith Pistaki Zelisko ’72 and many additional contributors, the Borgognoni Fund exemplifies the affinity Father Charles felt for Syracuse University.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Chancellor Syverud Addresses Athletics, Benefits, Sustainability at University Senate
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By News Staff
  • Setting the Agenda in Biology Research: 2 Professors Join NIH Peer Review Committees
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By News Staff
  • iSchool Student Selected for Highly Competitive Data Librarianship Internship
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By Anya Woods
  • Exploring the Existence of Life at 125 Degrees Fahrenheit
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • How Climate Warming Could Disrupt a Deep-Rooted Relationship
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi

More In Media, Law & Policy

Maxwell Sociologists Receive $1.8M From the NIA to Study Midlife Health and Mortality

A team of Maxwell School faculty led by Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat have been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support their research on geographic disparities in midlife mortality. Montez, University…

Languages Unlock Opportunities for English for Lawyers Alumna

Languages act as a guide for communicating our goals and dreams. It’s how we make sense of the world and connect with the communities around us. Become fluent in a variety of languages, and it’s like collecting keys that unlock…

Law Student Tyriese Robinson Named Inaugural Recipient of the NDNY FCBA Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 Law Scholarship

The first recipient of a scholarship established in honor of the Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 is second-year law student Tyriese Robinson. The Northern District of New York (NDNY) Federal Court Bar Association (FCBA) Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66,…

Robertson Fellows Aspire to Serve as Foreign Service Officers

Interested in careers in the foreign service, Zoe Prin and Forrest Gatrell took advantage of internships and other opportunities as undergraduates that exposed them to the inner workings of government, policymaking and service from differing vantage points. While Gatrell obtained…

Craig M. Boise to Conclude Tenure as College of Law Dean at End of Academic Year

When Craig M. Boise stepped into his role as dean of the College of Law in the spring of 2016, he described his vision to create “a sustainable law school that leverages the knowledge, skill and imagination of its faculty…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.