“St. John’s goal of providing an education to everyone,
especially those lacking economic, physical, or social advantages
is something I can relate to coming from a family of immigrants,”
says
William Gangi, Ph.D. ’64C, ’65G, government
and politics Professor in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences. As a second generation Italian American and the first
to attend college in his extended family, Dr. Gangi believes the
mission of the University falls right in line with his mission in
life.
“I came from a working class Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn,
New York. There were only two kids on my block that went to
college, but I always enjoyed ideas and was a very curious person,
so going to college was inevitable. I chose St. John’s because of
its dedication to helping second generation students get an
education,” says Dr. Gangi.
As the author of over 80 articles and book reviews in various
professional journals and law reviews, Dr. Gangi also currently
teaches courses in American government, political theory and public
administration to both undergraduate and graduate students.
His specific interest lies in U.S. constitutional law, and he
has conducted comprehensive research on the subject. He recently
completed an extensive law review article called, “One Scholar’s
Journey on the Dark Side” published in the fall 2007 edition of the
Chapman Law Review.
“In the article I summarize the 40 years I spent as a
constitutional scholar as well as offer my reasoning of why
constitutional law has declined as a discipline and what we have to
do before it, if ever, can recover,” says Dr. Gangi.
Dr. Gangi admits students may find his teaching style tough and
demanding, but believes it is the best way to prepare them for a
successful future, “Sure, I assign my students over 3,000 pages to
read in a semester and the pace is very fast, but this helps build
their confidence to go out into the world. To succeed, students
need self-confidence and to obtain that they must accept
challenges. That is what I provide them with – challenges.”
Dr. Gangi is in the beginning stages of re-examining the Supreme
Court decision on coerced confessions—a subject he published
extensively on when he was in graduate school, but says his number
one priority is teaching, “I get to share who I am as a person as
well as the expertise I possess. The greatest joy I get as a
teacher is to open a mind, to light the proverbial desire to learn,
to explore.”