Kurtis to Graduates: ‘Do What You Love’

Veteran television journalist and produc­er Bill Kurtis is not only an expert at what he does—he loves doing it.

As the featured speaker at Valparaiso University’s undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies in May, Kurtis offered a challenge to the 750 degree recipients: “find something you love and do it.”

Journalist Bill Kurtis speaks at VU com­mencement ceremonies on May 20.

The former anchor of Chicago’s Chan­nel 2 News and the “CBS Morning News” also told graduates that he believes global warming, the food supply, the Internet’s impact on the media, and changes in the legal system are the top four areas of crisis in the world today. He encouraged graduates to help provide solutions to these issues.

Kurtis has earned more than 20 Emmys for his television work and received the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Award in 1998. His “American Justice” program on A&E is the longest-running non-fiction justice series on cable television. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and earned a law degree from Washburn University School of Law.

Also at commencement ceremonies, VU awarded an honorary doctor of science degree to Richard DiMarchi, a former vice president at Eli Lilly & Co. DiMarchi is credited with discovering and develop­ing a popular laboratory-produced insulin.

Watch a video of Kurtis’ graduation speech at valpo.edu/valpomag.

School of Law Graduates 138

Pat Choate, a scholar of U.S. com­petitiveness in the global economy and former running mate of H. Ross Perot on the 1996 Reform Party ticket, was featured speaker at commence­ment ceremonies for Valparaiso University’s School of Law in May. Donna Draper Welter of Valparaiso, chair of the Board of Directors of First National Bank of Valparaiso, received an honorary doctor of laws degree.