Richard M. Battistoni is Professor of Political Science and Public and Community Service Studies at Providence College. Prior to his appointment at Providence College in 1994, he was an associate professor of political science at Baylor University and director of its Civic Education and Community Service Program. For the past twenty-five years, Professor Battistoni has been a leader in the field of community service-learning, especially as it relates to questions of political theory and citizenship education. From 2001–2004, he directed Project 540, a nationwide high school civic engagement initiative.
Professor Battistoni is the author of numerous books and articles, including Public Schooling and the Education of Democratic Citizens and Education for Democracy: Citizenship, Community, and Service (co-edited with Benjamin R. Barber, also available from Kendall Hunt). A native of Bakersfield, California, Battistoni is a graduate of the University of Southern California and earned his doctorate in political science at Rutgers University.