Award-winning 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley will deliver the commencement address at Wake Forest University on Monday, May 19. The ceremony will take place on Hearn Plaza at 9 a.m.
Pelley has been a key reporter for CBS News’ 60 Minutes for over 20 years, with many of the program’s major awards stemming from his work. From 2011 to 2017, he served as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and was the network’s chief White House correspondent from 1997 to 1999. Pelley began his career at CBS News in 1989 as a reporter in New York.
Throughout his career, Pelley has interviewed five U.S. presidents, ranging from George H.W. Bush to Joe Biden, along with numerous government leaders, including Secretaries of State and Defense and Federal Reserve Chairs. He has also spoken with influential figures pushing for social change, such as Pope Francis, conservationist Jane Goodall, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. Additionally, Pelley reported on major events like the September 11 attacks, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the human cost of global conflicts.
Pelley’s career includes over 50 Emmy Awards, four Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons, three George Foster Peabody Awards, and the Walter Cronkite Award.
“Scott Pelley’s exceptional ability to uncover the human story behind major events, whether through political interviews or international coverage, will undoubtedly inspire our graduates,” said Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente. “We are thrilled to welcome him to campus.”
Pelley is also the author of Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times (Hanover Square Press, 2019), in which he explores the lives of individuals who found meaning during significant moments in history.
Baccalaureate Speaker Selected
Reverend Emma Jordan-Simpson, president of Auburn Theological Seminary, will serve as the baccalaureate speaker. Jordan-Simpson, who became the first Black woman and non-Presbyterian to lead Auburn in 2021, is a powerful advocate for a multiracial, multifaith, multigenerational, and multiethnic democracy.
The Baccalaureate service will take place on Sunday, May 18, at 11 a.m. in Wait Chapel.
Commencement Event Details
Commencement and Baccalaureate are ticketed events reserved for graduates and their families. They are not open to the public. Media credentials are required to attend. Parking passes will be needed to access campus, and media personnel must carry their own credentials. To request media credentials and parking passes, please email media@wfu.edu by Monday, May 13.
The commencement and baccalaureate ceremonies will be livestreamed on the University’s commencement website, with recordings available afterward.
Additional information about Wake Forest’s commencement weekend is available at commencement.wfu.edu.
