Meredith
February 26, 2003
ERALD
Volume XVIV, Issue 20
CNN Anchor Judy Woodruff named as
May commencement speaker
“Inside Politics"
host returns to
speak at Meredith,
where she was once
a student.
I.ADONNA
LOGIJE
News Editor
Judy Woodruff, CNN
anchor and senior corre
spondent, will be
Meredith's spring com
mencement speaker.
Dr. Maureen Hartford
said, "I have met Ms.
Woodruff several times and
have found her to be
incredibly well informed,
poised, warm and charm
ing."
"She is an incredible role
model for women, combin
ing a career, marriage and
children. She is at the top
of her profession and is
respected within that pro
fession for her skill and
integrity," she added.
Woodruff attended
Meredith before moving on
to Duke University to earn
her bachelor's degree in
political science.
Woodruff left Meredith
because she wished to pur
sue a political science
degree, which was not
offered when she was a stu
dent at Meredith. Dr.
Carolyn Happer, professor
of history, helped Woodruff
decide on another college.
Happer and Woodruff
stayed in touch over the
years and in almost every
discusstion Woodruff
inquired about Meredith.
Dr. lone Knight,
professor emeritus
of English,remem-
bers her as, "a
good student with
a lot of potential."
Knight taught
Woodruff in a
British Authors
survey course.
Woodruff
returned to
Meredith as the
commencement
speaker for the
class of 1989.
She currently
anchors "Inside
Politics with Judy
Woodruff' and
also covers break
ing news such as
the 9/11 attacks
and the
Columbia space
shuttle crash.
Woodruffs main focus is
politics. She has covered
every national political
convention and presidential
campaign since 1976.
Her achievements include
the Joan Shorenstein
Barone Prize by the
Washington Radio and
Television Correspondents'
Association for her series
on national defense issues
CNN Anchor Judy Woodruff.
Photo courtesy of Judy Woodruff.
in 1986. She received the
National Women's Hall of
Fame President’s 21st
Century Award in 1994.
Woodruff has worked with
her husband to receive two
awards: Washingtonians of
the Year in 1994 and the
Allen H. Neuharth Award
for Excellence in
Journalism in 1995.
In 1997, Woodruff cov
ered the Centennial
Olympic Park
Bombing, which
won her a News
and Documentary
Emmy Award. She
has also received
the CableACE
Award for Best
Newscaster and for
Best Anchor Team
for her work on
"Inside Politics."
Woodruff serves
as a co-chair for
the International
Women's Media
Foundation. She
serves on the board
of trustees for the
Freedom Forum in
Arlington, Va., the
board of advisers
for the John S.
Knight Journalism
Fellowships at
Stanford University, and
the board of trustees for the
Carnegie Corporation of
New York and the Urban
Institute.
In recognition of her suc
cess in journalism, the
International Women's
Media Foundation estab
lished a new branch for the
Judy Woodruff Fellowship.
The Foundation now grants
Courage in Journalism
awards in her honor. These
awards are given to jour
nalists who have shown
extreme courage to report
the news in potentially
harmful or difficult circum
stances.
"She will bring a lot to
graduation," said Megan
Deane, senior class presi
dent and member of the
search committee who
selected Woodruff. "We
[the class of 2003] will be
able to learn so much from
her."
Watch Woodruff
on "Inside
Politics”
weekdays at 4
p.m. on CNN.
On the Inside:
Find out about Meredith’s What should you do with your Get the lowdown on the
newest mi^or spring break? Oscars and the Grammys
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