Wolf Blitzer to speak at commencement
CNN senior White House correspondent, a UB alumnus, to receive honorary degree

By ARTHUR PAGE
News Services Director

The university has landed one of its most famous alumni-Wolf Blitzer, CNN's senior White House correspondent-as speaker for UB's 153rd commencement ceremony, to be held at 10 a.m. May 16 in Alumni Arena.

Blitzer, who will be awarded a SUNY honorary doctorate at the ceremony, offered to give the speech when informed of the honorary degree by President William R. Greiner. And Greiner was quick to accept Blitzer's offer.

"Wolf Blitzer is one of the world's most trusted and respected journalists," Greiner said of the 1970 UB graduate.

"As both a newspaper and television reporter, he has reported on many of the most important events in the late 20th century, maintaining the highest levels of journalistic integrity and excellence," Greiner added.

"He has won awards for his outstanding coverage of the Persian Gulf War, the Clinton administration and the tragic Oklahoma City bombing. He is an inspiration for today's UB students, which is why we are so delighted that he is returning home to his alma mater to address the Class of '99."

Blitzer, who received a bachelor's degree in history from UB, joined CNN in 1990 and served two years as its military-affairs correspondent at the Pentagon. He was among the team of CNN reporters that won the prestigious Golden Cable Ace Award from the National Academy of Cable Programming for its coverage of the Persian Gulf War.

Blitzer has covered President Clinton since his election in November 1992. In addition to being CNN's senior White House correspondent, he is host of "Inside Politics Weekend," which airs at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and replays at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays.

In 1994, American Journalism Review cited Blitzer and CNN as the overwhelming choice of readers for the magazine's coveted Best in the Business Award for "best network coverage of the Clinton administration."

One of Blitzer's biggest fans is colleague Douglas Turner, chief of the Washington bureau of The Buffalo News.

"Wolf Blitzer maintained his professional impartiality and integrity throughout the entire Monica Lewinsky scandal when almost everybody else in the electronic media was losing their head," Turner noted.

"You never knew what Wolf Blitzer really thought and that is the mark of a journalist with intellect and discipline," Turner added. "He showed himself to be head-and-shoulders above all of his colleagues. It is not easy to do what he did-to report the news, do talk shows and be behind the microphone all hours of the day and night and never show your personal feelings. I have tremendous admiration for him."

Blitzer joined CNN after serving for 18 years as the Washington bureau chief for the Jerusalem Post.. In addition to his Washington beat, he covered breaking stories around the world for the newspaper, most notably in the Middle East.

He covered the first Israeli-Egyptian peace conference in Egypt in 1977. In 1979, he accompanied President Carter to Egypt and Israel during the final round of negotiations that led to the signing of the peace treaty. He was in Beirut in 1982 during the withdrawal of PLO and Syrian forces.

For CNN, Blitzer has reported on a wide range of breaking stories around the world. He was in Moscow in August 1991 for the failed coup, and was among the first Western reporters invited into KGB headquarters. Later that year, he returned to Moscow to cover the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transition from Mikhail Gorbachev to Boris Yeltsin.

Blitzer is the author of two books, "Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook" (Oxford University Press, 1985) and "Territory of Lies" (Harper and Row, 1989). The story of Jonathan Jay Pollard, an American intelligence officer convicted of spying for Israel, the latter was cited by The New York Times Book Review as one of the most notable books of 1989.

In addition to his bachelor's degree from UB, Blitzer holds a master of arts degree in international relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.