The George Washington University will award honorary degrees to two titans of broadcast news at this year’s Commencement celebration on the National Mall.
CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash, B.A. ’93, and moderator of NBC News’ Meet the Press Charles “Chuck” Todd, ATT '90 to ’94, will both receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service alongside the GW Class of 2022.
GW President Mark S. Wrighton said Todd and Bash’s distinguished career achievements and commitment to serving the public through journalism are an inspiration for GW graduates as they work to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
"We are extremely fortunate to be able to recognize with honorary degrees two distinguished members of our alumni community, who have been trusted public voices and made an incredible impact on journalism during pivotal moments in our nation's recent history," Wrighton said.
Bash and Todd were both honored with the Monumental Alumni Award last year, a special recognition of GW’s living alumni who have made an impact on the world through their work and service and who embody the ideals of the university.
Bash is CNN’s chief political correspondent and co-anchor of Sunday morning’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. She covers both campaigns and Congress and regularly serves as a moderator for CNN's political town hall specials. She anchored special coverage surrounding the 2020 election and served as a moderator during presidential candidate debates.
Bash began her career at CNN as a producer of weekend programming and served as a White House correspondent during the George W. Bush administration. She has played a key role in CNN’s election coverage since 2000. She was honored with the National Press Foundation’s 2019 Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism and received the prestigious Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress from the National Press Foundation an unprecedented three times.
Todd has served as moderator for Meet the Press, the top-rated Sunday public affairs program, since 2014. He is political director at NBC News and serves as the primary anchor for the network’s primetime political and election programming. He spearheads NBC News’ political coverage across all its platforms and flagship news programs, and he has moderated presidential debates for NBC News and MSNBC.
Todd worked as chief White House correspondent for NBC during President Barack Obama’s administration and served as host of The Daily Rundown and a weekly news magazine, Meet the Press Reports, both on MSNBC. Todd also leads a podcast, The Chuck Toddcast. He is the author of The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House and co-author of How Barack Obama Won: A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election.
GW alumna and history-making Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor B.S. ’06, M.T.A. ’11, HON ’18, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Commencement celebration. The 37-year-old became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history at her fourth Olympic competition in Beijing earlier this year.
Senior Vishva Bhatt, a first-generation American and international affairs major, was chosen to deliver remarks as the class speaker.
Visit GW’s Commencement website for additional information about the week’s schedule and events. Registration for Commencement closes April 29.
