Message regarding the new President of RSA, David Zarefsky: 

RSA President Michael Leff has passed away after a brief illness. The Officers and Board of RSA ask you to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.  

 The Board of Directors has voted unanimously to appoint David Zarefsky as President of the Rhetoric Society of America, and he has graciously accepted that appointment. He will assume all presidential responsibilities for the duration of the 2010-2012 term immediately.  RSA members will recall that David served the Society well as President from 2006-07, and so we are fortunate to have his leadership again.  David has recently retired as Owen L Coon Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern, and he is spending this semester as visiting professor of English at Harvard.

David has asked Past President Jack Selzer to assume responsibility for the execution the 2010 RSA Conference in Minneapolis.  Fortunately, planning for the conference is already well advanced, thanks to Michael Leff's excellent leadership and the efforts of his staff at the University of Memphis.  The people in Memphis, in cooperation with Jack and the RSA staff and local hosts in Minneapolis, will remain engaged in arranging the details of the conference, and will ensure that the event comes off as smoothly as Michael Leff would have wanted.

 RSA members should also know that a celebration of the life and career of Michael Leff will be a featured event in Minneapolis.  Planning is under way with Leah Ceccarelli leading a group of planners.  Members may send suggestions to Leah at cecc@u.washington.edu.