Sports commentator and Northwestern alumnus Michael Wilbon will replace former CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour as the 152nd commencement speaker on June 18, the University announced today.
Amanpour was forced to cancel the speaking engagement because she will be on assignment abroad, University spokesman Al Cubbage said.
“We needed to find a pinch hitter,” he said. “Mr. Wilbon is an NU alum and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. … President Schapiro spoke with him and Wilbon was willing to step up, and we very much appreciate that.”
Wilbon, Medill ’80, is an award-winning sports columnist for The Washington Post as well as the co-host of “Pardon the Interruption” on ESPN. He began his sports writing career as an undergraduate at The Daily Northwestern.
“I’m honored,” Wilbon said of the chance to address the class of 2010. “I don’t know of too many things cooler than giving the commencement address at your alma mater.”
While Wilbon said he didn’t remember his own NU commencement speaker, he described NU as the place where he came of age and one to which he maintains a lasting connection.
“I grew up there,” he said. “I would not have had any of the successes in my professional life without Medill. My whole life is tied up in the place.”
“We’re very pleased that Michael has agreed to be our commencement speaker on such short notice,” University President Morton O. Schapiro said in the school’s press release.
“We’re fortunate to have a superb board of trustees. Assisting the University in a time of need is part of the trustees’ duty, and this was one of those times. We thank Michael in advance for being there when we need him.”
Wilbon said he was more than happy to answer the call of duty.
“The president said, ‘You’re doing this,’ and I said, ‘OK’ and that was that,” he said.
The University makes an effort to host a range of commencement speakers from various fields, Cubbage said, adding that in replacing Amanpour this year, doing so with another journalist was taken into consideration.
This will be Wilbon’s first graduation speech of any kind.
“I’ve never done preschool, grade school, high school-nothing,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it, I’ll be terrified to do it. I have no idea what I’m going to say to people, but I’ll figure it out.”
Read the NU press release here.
