Pier Massimo Forni (16 October 1951 – 1 December 2018),
a native of
Italy, was a professor at
Johns Hopkins University, where he taught since 1985. Forni published several books, including his 2002 best-seller ''Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct''.
[
] He co-founded and directed the Civility Project at Johns Hopkins,
the purpose of which is to assess the significance of civility, manners and politeness in contemporary society.
Education and career
Forni received his undergraduate degree in Letters and Philosophy from the
University of Pavia and his
Ph.D. in
Italian literature from
UCLA. His numerous published writings on Italian literature include ''Forme complesse nel Decameron'' (1992) and ''Adventures in Speech: Rhetoric and Narration in Boccaccio's Decameron'' (1996). Forni held visiting appointments at several U. S. universities including the
University of Pennsylvania, the
University of Virginia, and the
University of California at Davis. In Italy, he lectured at the
University of Venice, the
University of Naples, and the
University of Florence, among others. He was a former Fellow of
Villa I Tatti
Villa I Tatti, The Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies is a center for advanced research in the humanities located in Florence, Italy, and belongs to Harvard University. It houses a collection of Italian primitives, and of Chinese and ...
, The
Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in
Florence.
Civility Project at Johns Hopkins University
In 1997, he co-founded the Johns Hopkins Civility Project,
whose aim was to assess the significance of civility, manners and politeness in contemporary society. He was also co-director of "Reassessing Civility: Forms and Values at the End of the Century," an international symposium which took place at
Johns Hopkins University in March 1998. Forni was to become the director of The Civility Initiative at
Johns Hopkins University—which he founded in 2000. He frequently lectured and conducted workshops on the rewards of fostering a culture of civility in today's workplace and the connections among civility, ethics, and quality of life.
Publications
In 2002, Forni published the best-seller ''Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct''.
Since then the book has acquired the status of a little classic within the American civility movement. His second book on civility, ''The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude'' (2008) provides examples on how to respond effectively and civilly in different day-to-day rude encounters. He contributed to a chapter on ethics and international protocol in the Convention Industry Council International Manual (2005). His article "The Other Side of Civility" appeared in the November 2005 issue of th
Johns Hopkins magazine "Why Civility Means Business: A Memo to the B-School Dean (Cc: the CEO)" was published in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue o
One the magazine of the
Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School (also Carey Business School or simply Carey) is the Graduate school, graduate business school of Johns Hopkins University, a Private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It was e ...
. In 2009 the Association of Image Consultants International awarded him the Image Makers Merit of Industry Excellence Bravo Award,
which counts among its past awardees
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
,
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
, and
Target Stores.
Initiatives
Forni's work has inspired civility-based initiatives around the United States, such as those in Duluth, MN, Cleveland Heights, OH
Howard County, MD Hershey, PA, Oshkosh, WI, and Lake Charles LA. Among the academic institutions which selected Choosing Civility for their common reading programs are
Grand Rapids Community College,
Lynn University,
Occidental College
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
,
Southern Utah University,
Muskingum University, the
University of West Georgia,
Frank Phillips College
Frank Phillips College is a public community college in Borger, Texas
Borger ( ) is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,551 at the 2020 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "A ...
,
Spelman College and
Monroe Community College.
Reception
Forni's work has been mentioned by numerous publications including ''
The New York Times'', ''
The Times'', ''
The Washington Post'', ''
The Wall Street Journal'', ''
The Los Angeles Times'', and ''
Forbes'' magazine. He was interviewed on several high-profile radio and televisions shows, including the ABC's World News Tonight,
CBS Sunday Morning,
The Gayle King Show,
BBC's Outlook, and
Oprah. Forni's contribution to the civility movement that started in the United States at the turn of the millennium is featured in Benet Davetian's ''Civility: A Cultural History'' (2009). In a profile which appeared in 2008,
Smithsonian magazine stated that P.M. Forni "will be remembered as one of the greatest generals in our nation's struggle for civility."
[
]
References
External links
CBC Television documentaryWikiHow.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forni, P. M.
1951 births
2018 deaths
Italian emigrants to the United States
Johns Hopkins University faculty
Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States