Richard Forgette is Associate Provost and Professor of Political Science at the University of Mississippi. Professor Forgette received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Rochester, and an M.A. from the University of North Carolina. He was an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of Political Science at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) from 1992-2003. He also served as the 1996-97 American Political Science Association William Steiger Congressional Fellow. In 2003, Professor Forgette joined the the University of Mississippi as Professor and Department Chair of Political Science. In 2011, he joined the College of Liberal Arts as Senior Associate Dean and, in 2014-15, interim Dean. He has published three books and numerous articles on the U.S. Congress, legislative elections, and public policy. His research specifically relates to legislative budgeting, congressional party organizations, and public trust in Congress. He has also conducted research on disaster recovery and community resilience has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in American politics, public policy analysis, and quantitative research methods.