Journalists speak at ODU commencements

Old Dominion University graduates will hear from two nationally known commentators at their May 10 commencements: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” and Leonard Pitts Jr., syndicated columnist with The Miami Herald, the university confirmed today.

Matthews, a former speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter, newspaper reporter and author, was awarded the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism in 2004.

Pitts, whose column appears in The Virginian-Pilot, won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2004. His angry column about the Sept. 11 attacks was reprinted and circulated in e-mails around the world, made into a poster and set to music.

Pitts will speak at 9 a.m. in the Ted Constant Convocation Center to graduates of the colleges of Business and Public Administration, Education and Sciences. Matthews will speak at 2 p.m. to the colleges of Arts and Letters, Engineering and Technology, and Health Sciences.