ABC News anchor and tenured journalist Byron Pitts will serve as the commencement speaker for Morgan State University’s inaugural December commencement exercises, to be held on December 20 beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center.
Pitts, a native of Baltimore, MD will address more than 300 graduates in the history-making ceremony, and will receive an honorary degree of humane letters 42 years after his mother, Clarice Pitts, graduated from Morgan with a bachelor’s in sociology.
Morgan officials say his appearance is fitting for the historic occasion.
“Byron Pitts is a journalist of the highest regard, and has contributed a great deal to the public discourse on key issues of our generation,” says Morgan State President David Wilson. “We are excited about his visit to the campus, and eager for our graduates to draw from his experiences as a seasoned professional in the journalism industry.”
The winter commencement will feature the university’s first graduates from its newly established School of Global Journalism and Communication. Shay Tyrell, current president of Morgan’s National Association of Black Journalists’ chapter, says her time earning a bachelor’s degree in multi-platform production has been invaluable to her professional development.
“It’s really amazing to be one of the first students to graduate from the school,” said the Westchester County, NY native. “I didn’t get to experience it as much as I would’ve liked, but this semester was full of wonderful experiences.”
Pitts reports across ABC full platform of traditional and digital media properties, including ‘Good Morning, America’ and ’20/20.’