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Daniel Ruth - Visiting Professor of Professional Practice

The Honors College Visiting Professor of Professional Practice is columnist Daniel Ruth, a Pulitzer Prize-winning member of the Tampa Bay Times editorial board. Ruth shared the 2013 Pulitzer for editorial writing with Tim Nickens, the Times' editor-of-the-editorial pages, for a series of editorials taking the Pinellas County Commission to task for its 2011 vote to remove fluoride from the county water supply, putting the oral health of more than 700,000 residents at risk. In November, 2012 Pinellas County citizens voted two of the commissioners who supported the removal of fluoride out of office. And a newly constituted Pinellas County Commission quickly moved to approve restoring fluoride to the water supply.

Ruth's journalism career has spanned four decades as a reporter, film critic, television critic, columnist and editorial writer for the Tampa Tribune, Chicago-Sun-Times and now the Tampa Bay Times. He also has worked as a commentator and talk show host for WMAQ in Chicago, as well as Tampa Bay's WQYK, WFLA and WWBM. Ruth has served as an adjunct professor for the 91tvӰԺ's Honors College, the University of Tampa, and Columbia College in Chicago.

A graduate of Gannon University in Erie, Pa., Ruth also holds a masters degree in mass communications from the 91tvӰԺ. In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, Ruth is also the recipient of the Peter Lisagor Award for his columns in Chicago and he has been honored by the Pinellas County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union with the Irene Miller Vigilance in Journalism Award, as well at the Clearwater Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award. In 2014, Ruth was the recipient of the Green Eyeshade First Place Award for commentary. Ruth also has been inducted into the 91tvӰԺ chapter of the Kappa Tau Alpha fraternity's journalism hall of fame. Ruth and his wife Angela live in Tampa.