Tom Brokaw, the longtime NBC news anchor, was selected by the Office of President Michael Crow to deliver the spring 2012 undergraduate commencement ceremony speech on May 3.
The ceremony will be the 125th commencement ceremony and more than 10,000 degrees are scheduled to be given to outgoing students in Sun Devil Stadium, according to a University press release Tuesday.
Director of University Ceremonies Melissa Werner said Brokaw’s reputation as a respected newsman and author should provide graduating students some perspective and inspiration as they embark on future endeavors.
It’s rare to have a commencement speaker besides the president of the University, she said.
“It’s going to be fun to have somebody different,” Werner said. “(Brokaw is) somebody who’s going to engage students … and captivate the audience.”
Brokaw will also receive an honorary degree from the University, according to the release.
Brokaw is best known for being the lead anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” from 1983 to 2004.
The renowned journalist was born on Feb. 6, 1940 in Webster, S.D. and graduated from University of South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1962. He is the recipient of an Alfred I. duPont Award and a George Foster Peabody Award.
Brokaw reported for various broadcast networks in 1962 before getting a job with NBC in 1966 as a White House correspondent during the Watergate era. He would get his first lead anchor job for NBC in 1973 with “Saturday Night News” before his long running stint on “Nightly News.”
Reach the reporter at sraymund@asu.edu
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