Bob Schieffer to Deliver Commencement Address at Maryville University
2/17/09
St. Louis, Mo. – Bob Schieffer, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent and long-time moderator of the network’s Sunday morning program Face the Nation, will be the commencement speaker at Maryville University on Saturday, May 2, 2009. Schieffer will be honored with a doctorate of humane letters during the ceremony.
“The entire Maryville community is honored that distinguished journalist Bob Schieffer will address our graduates,” said Dr. Mark Lombardi, president of Maryville University. “He is a frontline witness to modern history and an eloquent reporter of our times.”
As a 40-year veteran of CBS News, Schieffer has served as the network’s Chief Washington Correspondent since 1982 and as moderator of Face the Nation since 1991. He has also anchored CBS Evening News, including the weekday, Saturday and Sunday programs. Schieffer is one of few journalists to cover all four major beats in the nation’s capital: the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Capitol Hill. Since 1972, he has covered every presidential campaign and has reported from the floor at all Democratic and Republican national conventions.
In the past year, Schieffer signed a long-term contract to continue working with CBS News. He also published his fourth book, Bob Schieffer’s America, moderated the final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, received his seventh Emmy Award – this one for lifetime achievement in broadcasting – and was named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress.
In fact, Schieffer has received virtually every award in broadcast journalism during his long career. However, the greatest honor bestowed upon him, Schieffer said, came when his alma mater, Texas Christian University, established the Schieffer School of Journalism in 2005.
“Graduation is my favorite holiday and I love sharing it with graduates,” said Schieffer, who loves the St. Louis Cardinals, covered the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate in the city, and talks once a week with host Charlie Brennan on KMOX radio.
Maryville University, founded in 1872, is a four-year, private university located in west St. Louis County. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges in the Masters-Midwest category, Maryville University students may choose from 50 academic programs, including degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Among recent graduates, 94 percent are employed or attending graduate school. More than 15,000 Maryville alumni work and live in the St. Louis region.