USC Commencement 2007: Ted Koppel To Speak

Esteemed and award-winning journalist Ted Koppel will deliver the commencement address at the University of Southern California’s 124th graduation ceremony on Friday, May 11.

USC President Steven B. Sample will confer more than 8,000 degrees on graduating students in ceremonies beginning at 8:30 a.m. in USC’s Alumni Park.

About 40,000 parents, family and friends are expected to attend the ceremonies, which will include satellite ceremonies held by 26 USC schools and academic units.

At the ceremony, political science and music major Colin Koproske will be recognized as valedictorian of the USC undergraduate class of 2007. Health and humanity major Shannon Bell and cinema critical studies major Joe Horton will be recognized as class salutatorians.

After delivering his address, Koppel will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from USC.

A member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Ted Koppel was the anchor and managing editor of ABC News’ Nightline for 25 years. For his achievement as a journalist during more than four decades at ABC News, Koppel earned multiple Emmy Awards, George Foster Peabody Awards and Overseas Press Club Awards.

Koppel is currently managing editor of the Discovery Channel, a senior news analyst for National Public Radio and a contributing columnist at The New York Times. He was born in England, came with his parents to the United States as a teenager and became a U.S. citizen in 1963.

Also receiving honorary degrees from USC are:

• Arvid Carlsson, doctor of science. Carlsson is a Nobel laureate whose pioneering research on neurotransmitters paved the way for new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. He is a professor emeritus of pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Clint Eastwood, doctor of humane letters. Eastwood is a four-time Academy Award winner whose work as a director, producer, actor and composer spans 50 years of cinematic excellence. Eastwood’s recent films include Letters from Iwo Jima and Million Dollar Baby. He served as mayor of Carmel, Calif., from 1986 to 1988.
• Joyce Kennard, doctor of laws. A three-time USC alumna, Kennard has served for nearly two decades on the California Supreme Court. Admired as an independent-minded and diligent jurist, Kennard was born in Indonesia and is the first Asian American and the second woman to serve on the state’s highest court.

For more information about USC’s commencement activities, please visit https://www.usc.edu/commencement.

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