Anderson Cooper, CNN news anchor and host of “Anderson Cooper 360°” will appear at Elon University on April 7, 2009, conducting a question-and-answer discussion with students at 2 p.m. and delivering a special lecture at 4 p.m. in Koury Center’s Alumni Gym. Tickets for the lecture are sold out, however the Box Office is distributing 400 tickets for closed circuit TV viewing in McCrary Theatre.
Because of the anticipated size of the audience, the Office of Cultural Programs recommends that ticket holders allow ample time for parking and for getting seated in Alumni Gym.
Cooper will discuss current events, drawing on his extensive experience covering major news stories around the globe. Since joining CNN in 2001, he has covered Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Sri Lanka and the war in Iraq. Cooper also anchored much of CNN’s live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Vatican City as well as the Terri Schiavo story in Florida. For “America Votes 2004,” he moderated a Democratic presidential candidates forum the network sponsored with Rock the Vote.
In addition to reporting for CNN, Cooper also provides reports for CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
Before joining CNN, Cooper was an ABC News correspondent and host of the network’s reality program, “The Mole.” Cooper anchored ABC’s live, interactive news and interview program, “World News Now,” as well as providing reports for “World News Tonight,” “20/20” and “20/20 Downtown.” Previously, he was a New York-based correspondent for ABC News, reporting primarily for “World News Saturday/Sunday.”
Cooper joined ABC from Channel One News, where he served as chief international correspondent. During that time, he reported and produced stories from Bosnia, Iran, Israel, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa and Vietnam. He also reported national stories that were broadcast over the Channel One News school television network and seen in more than 12,000 classrooms nationwide.
Cooper has won several awards for his work, including a National Headliners Award for his tsunami coverage, an Emmy Award for his contribution to ABC’s coverage of Princess Diana’s funeral; a Silver Plaque from the Chicago International Film Festival for his report from Sarajevo on the Bosnian civil war; a Bronze Telly for his coverage of famine in Somalia; a Bronze Award from the National Educational Film and Video Festival for a report on political Islam; and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism for his 20/20 Downtown report on high school athlete Corey Johnson.
Cooper graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He also studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi. Cooper is based in New York City.