MEDIA CONTACT: Curt Smith (585) 275-4260 or Helene Snihur (585) 275-7800

April 21, 2003

EVENT: "The Role of Religious Rhetoric in the 2000 Presidential Campaign, a talk by presidential rhetoric scholar Martin J. Medhurst

TIME, DATE, AND PLACE: 3 p.m. Monday, April 28, in the Gowen Room in Wilson Commons on the University of Rochester's River Campus

ADMISSION: Free and open to the public

Martin J. Medhurst, one of America's leading presidential rhetoric scholars, will speak about "The Role of Religious Rhetoric in the 2000 Presidential Campaign" at 3 p.m. on Monday, April 28, in the Gowen Room in Wilson Commons on the University of Rochester's River Campus.

Medhurst is professor of speech communication and coordinator of the Program in Presidential Rhetoric at Texas A&M University. He is the author or editor of nine books, including Eisenhower's War of Words: Rhetoric and Leadership (1994), Beyond the Rhetorical Presidency (1996), Critical Reflections on the Cold War (2000, with H.W. Brands), and Presidential Speechwriting (2003, with Kurt Ritter). He also is the founding editor of the journal Rhetoric and Public Affairs and is the general editor of the 10-volume series A Rhetorical History of the United States.

Medhurst's speech is presented as part of a unique arrangement between the University of Rochester and the Texas A&M Center for Presidential Studies. Under the arrangement, both schools exchange speakers; hold joint conference series, working papers, and symposia; and make research accessible to each other's students and faculty.

For more information, call (585) 275-4092.