Richard Heffner was the creator and host of PBS's public affairs show, "The Open Mind."Prior to starting his show, Heffner was a University Professor of Communications and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He also taught an honors seminar at New York University.Heffner was the author of "A Documentary History of the United States", an anthology of important public documents in American history. He also collaborated with Elie Wiesel on the publication of "Conversations With Elie Wiesel."Heffner taught courses on communications at Rutgers University and New York University.Heffner received his B.A. in History and his M.A. in History from Columbia University.Heffner died in 2013.