Couric delivers address at Class Day ceremony

“CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Katie Couric urged members of the Class of 2009 to “look beyond the paycheck and actually see possibilities” in her Class Day speech Monday morning.

Just as Gen. David Petraeus GS ’85 did in the Baccalaureate address a day earlier, Couric mixed humor into a discussion of the serious issues facing this year’s graduates, such as the challenge of looking for a job in a volatile economic climate, and encouraged them to work in the public interest. “In this economic climate, graduates of the Wilson School might actually have to get a job in government,” she joked.

Couric praised the University’s tradition of fostering commitment to public service but cautioned graduates against forgetting the importance of service work after graduation.

“It’s not all about you,” she said. “Obviously public service is part of Princeton’s DNA, but I just don’t want you to leave the concept of it on campus.”

Citing the innovations of famous Princetonians — former eBay CEO Meg Whitman ’77, Teach For America founder Wendy Kopp ’89, Google CEO Eric Schmidt ’76 — Couric emphasized the importance of hard work and resilience in the face of obstacles.

“You’ve got your degree, and now you’re about to enroll in a new kind of journey,” she said. “Success only knocks on your door if you win the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes ... The rest of us have to work for it.”

On a personal level, Couric discussed her response to the death of her husband, Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer in 1998.

After Monahan’s death, Couric said she decided that she “needed to educate Americans about colon cancer” and agreed to have a colonoscopy on national television. Some credit her efforts to spread awareness with a temporary increase in the number of people who chose to undergo a colonoscopy.

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“I think for me personally this is going to be and will continue to be the most gratifying accomplishment in my life,” she said.

Couric also referenced a “Saturday Night Live” parody of her interview last year with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the former Republican nominee for vice president, in explaining her decision to speak at the University.

“Coming here was a no-brainer,” she said. “After all, I can see New Jersey from my house!”

President Tilghman also referenced the interview in her introductory remarks at the event.

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Tilghman said that Couric taught students “how important it is to be able to name a few newspapers and magazines that you read regularly,” referencing a segment of Couric’s interview in which Palin was unable to name any news publications she reads.

Tilghman also paid tribute to Couric’s pioneering work as the first female solo anchor of a major network’s evening news program.

“Ms. Couric has broken through many barriers for women in her distinguished career, and today I am most embarrassed to tell you she is the first woman and the first journalist to deliver the address on Class Day,” Tilghman said.

At the end of the event, class officers presented Couric with a Class of 2009 beer jacket and named her an honorary member of their class.

Seniors had mixed, though mostly positive, reactions to Couric’s speech.

“I thought it was an awkward mix of sober and humorous moments,” John Walters ’09 said. “But in general it was enjoyable as long as you went with it for the sake of class spirit ... If there’s one thing I will take away, it’s that success isn't necessarily something magical, but it is a combination of luck and hard work.”

Taylor Numann ’09 said that she enjoyed Couric’s speech as well as those delivered by fellow seniors Jackie Bello and Jason Gilbert.

“I was really impressed with our own class members’ speeches,” he said. “And I was really glad that Katie Couric incorporated all her other accomplishments besides just journalism, and the causes that she supports, particularly the ones that were special to her.”

Earlier in the ceremony, Dean of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan presented a collection of class prizes. Former USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 received the Class of 1901 Medal, which is awarded to a senior who, “in the judgment of his or her classmates, has done the most for Princeton.”

Grant Bermann ’09, who has served as class president for four years, was awarded the W. Sanderson Detwiler 1903 Prize, given to the senior who, “in the judgment of his or her classmates, has done the most for the [graduating] class.”