Tim Russert to address Notre Dame 2002 graduates Sunday
Observer staff report
Tim Russert, moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press" will address the Notre Dame Class of 2002 as the keynote speaker for Notre Dame's 157th Commencement on Sunday.
During the graduation ceremony, Russert will receive an honorary doctor of law degree along with 11 other honorary degree recipients. A graduate of John Carroll University, Russert also has a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and is a member of the bar in New York and Washington.
His career with NBC News began in 1984. Seven years later, he joined "Meet the Press," the longest running program in television history, currently in its 53rd year. He also serves as a political analyst for NBC news programs, including "Nightly News with Tom Brokaw" and "Today."
Russert is the senior vice president and Washington bureau chief for NBC News, as well as a contributing anchor for MSNBC. He also analyzes the media's role in American society every week on CNBC's "The Tim Russert Show."
Before his journalism career with NBC, Russert worked as a special counsel in the U.S. Senate and in New York state government.
Notre Dame spokesman Denny Moore said the University contacted Russert, who had been on the list of potential Commencement speakers, soon after the previously scheduled speaker, Mexican President Vicente Fox, changed plans.
Russert's last visit to campus was in November 2000, one week after the controversial presidential election. He spoke to a standing room-only audience in McKenna Hall for the first Jack Kelly and Gail Weiss Lecture Series on Journalism and Politics.
All News Stories for Friday, May 17, 2002
