Rudolph (Rudy) F. Verderber (Ph.D., University of Missouri) is the Distinguished Teaching Professor of Communication Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati and one of the nation's leading authors of communication textbooks. During his tenure at the University of Cincinnati, where he was head of the university's Communication Department, Dr. Verderber taught more than 25 different courses, 10 of which he originated. Considered one of the university's finest teachers, he received the Dolly Cohen Award for Outstanding Teaching (two such awards are given at the university each year), and in 1994, he was named Distinguished Teaching Professor, an honor held by only four faculty members across… the university. In 1996, he received the National Speakers Association Outstanding Professor Award. His primary areas of expertise include rhetoric, public address, argumentation, and interpersonal communication.