"...One Of The Highlights Of This Semester.”

Anderson Cooper to address graduates
Popular anchor continues trend of well-known speakers.

By Alex Trabolsi | Section: Jan 22nd, 2010

Tulane selected Emmy award-winning journalist Anderson Cooper as the keynote speaker at the 2010 Commencement May 15 in the Superdome.

Cooper, anchor on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°” and contributor to CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” will join a list of recent commencement speakers at Tulane which includes George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Brian Williams, James Carville, Mary Matalin and Ellen DeGeneres — all of whom have been among the numerous nationally recognized figures to demonstrate support for both the city and the university since Hurricane Katrina.

Debbie Grant, vice president for university communications and marketing, said she is pleased with what she considered the first choice candidate this year.

“We’re really looking forward to [his speaking], and after President Cowen announced it we got a lot of positive feedback from students,” Grant said. “Also, I think if you’re following the news in Haiti and watching him right now, you’ll see he has some very interesting things to say to this city specifically.”

Cooper is no stranger to Tulane or to New Orleans. He was heavily involved in reporting on the city following Hurricane Katrina and has visited the city numerous times since then. He was most recently at Tulane in 2008 when he came to give a talk on the hurricane and on his many travels to other areas of the globe facing crisis, including Iraq.

“What we try to do is reach out to somebody that we’ve identified in conversations with students, faculty and staff that would be a good commencement speaker and then see if they have any connections to Tulane or New Orleans,” Grant said. “His coverage of New Orleans following Katrina was great.”

According to President Cowen’s most recent Tulane Talk, Cooper’s continued dedication to covering the story of the city’s destruction — and now its reconstruction — prompted his selection as this year’s keynote speaker.
“[He’s] a favorite of New Orleanians and many Tulanians,” Cowen said. “[It] will no doubt be one of the highlights of this semester.”

Graduating students like Kate Fredricks said they agree with Cowen and are anxious to discover what parts of Anderson Cooper’s life and career, which have taken him around the globe covering different disasters and tragedies, he will share with them in his speech.

“He has a lot of phenomenal life experiences to share with us,” Fredricks said. “I’m incredibly interested in hearing what words of wisdom he will impart upon our class.”

Younger students are looking forward to their own commencement speakers.

“Someone who’s both entertaining and intelligent, like Jon Stewart, would be amazing,” sophomore Liz Mandel said.

Grant said that though anyone is eligible, the selection committee usually tries to pick someone with close personal ties to New Orleans and the Tulane community.

“Of course we would love to have someone like President Obama or possibly Brad Pitt in the future, Grant said. “If you have any sway, let us know.”