Professor of Leadership Studies
Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond
Dr. Forsyth joined the Jepson School of Leadership Studies in 2005 and holds the Colonel Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Endowed Chair in Ethical Leadership.
Forsyth's research focuses on why people feel, think and act as they do. An authority on group dynamics–his text, Group Dynamics, is in its fourth printing–and one of the nation's leading scholars in social psychology. Forsyth brings his psychological and sociological expertise to the study of leadership. Forsyth taught two new psychology-based courses in the Jepson School last fall.
Forsyth’s broader interests include social behavior, leadership and group dynamics and research methodology in the social sciences. A prolific and thoughtful writer, he stays active in a number of scientific, honorary and professional societies, including the American Psychological Society and the American Sociological Association.
Forsyth received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Florida State University and then earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Florida. Before joining the Jepson faculty, Forsyth taught in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University for more than 25 years.