About our authors Steven A. Beebe is Regents’ and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Texas State University. He served as Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State for 28 years and concurrently as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication for 25 years. Before joining Texas State University, he was on the faculty of the University of Miami (Florida) for 10 years.Steve is the author or co-author of 15 widely used communication texts, most of which have been through multiple editions (including Russian and Chinese editions), as well as numerous articles, book chapters and conference presentations. He has been a Visiting Scholar at both Oxford University and Cambridge University, and has given lectures and conference presentations internationally. During his 15 visits to Russia, he helped to establish the first communication studies programs in that country.Steve served as President of the National Communication Association and has received his university’s top awards for teaching, research and service. He was named a Piper Professor for the State of Texas. He received the Scholar of the Year Award by the Religious Communication Association and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Communication Association, Division of Training and Development. He also received the Wallace A. Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award from the National Communication Association. The National Speaker’s Association has named him Outstanding Communication Professor in America.He enjoys traveling, reading, researching and writing about C. S. Lewis, and playing the piano. He is also a struggling cellist.Susan J. Beebe’s professional interests and expertise encompass both oral and written communication. Sue has co-authored 3 texts and has published a number of articles and teaching materials in both English and communication studies. She has received the Texas State University Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching and in Service and the College of Liberal Arts Awards for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, in Teaching, and in Service. After serving as Director of Lower-Division Studies in English for 11 years, Sue retired in 2014 from the Department of English at Texas State. An active volunteer in the community of San Marcos, Texas, Sue was the founding coordinator of the San Marcos Volunteers in Public Schools Program and has served on the San Marcos School Board, the Education Foundation Board, and the Lifelong Learning Advisory Committee. The Texas Classroom Teachers’ Association has honored Sue with the statewide Friend of Education Award, and the San Marcos school district has presented her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Sue enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with family.Diana K. Ivy, Ph.D., has been a Professor of Communication for over 40 years, 30 of which have been spent at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi where she teaches courses in nonverbal, interpersonal, and gender/sexuality communication. Her master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication are from the University of Oklahoma and her Bachelor’s degree is in speech and theatre from Texas Wesleyan University, which is located in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Her first faculty appointment was at Texas State University, where Steve Beebe hired her as Basic Course Director. Ivy is author/co-author of 3 communication texts (Gender Speak, 7th Edition; Nonverbal Communication for a Lifetime, 4th Edition; Communication: Principles for a Lifetime, 9th Edition) and a book chapter entitled “College Students’ Sexual Safety: The Verbal and Nonverbal Communication of Consent” that was included in Contemporary Studies of Sexuality and Communication. She has published articles in Communication Education, Southern Communication Journal, and Women & Language, and she has held multiple offices in the National Communication Association and Western States Communication Association. In 2012 she received NCA’s Teachers on Teaching distinction. She has served as Speaker of the TAMUCC Faculty Senate; Director of the University’s Women’s Center for Education and Service; Internship Coordinator for the Department of Communication and Media; and President, current Board member, and singing member of the Corpus Christi Chorale. In 2006, she received both the College of Liberal Arts and the University’s Outstanding Service Award. In 2002, she was named Gender Scholar of the Year by the Southern Communication Association. She also hosted a call-in radio show, “Call Me Ivy,” and has pursued post-doctoral coursework at Oxford University, studying C. S. Lewis and communication. She was granted a sabbatical for the academic year of 2015 to 2016, with a research focus on the communication of consent in sexual settings. Her sabbatical projects included guest teaching, presentations, and interviews with faculty and staff associated with student sexual safety, both at US and Australian universities. Her primary non-academic interests include choral singing and making floral creations in a studio in her home, using unique materials such as antlers, feathers, berries, seashells, and other natural materials found in the South Texas area.
