Anderson Cooper to speak at SU

The silver fox is coming to campus.

On Thursday, April 24, CNN anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper will speak at The Newhouse School at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.

Cooper will be the guest speaker at the third annual “Truth Be Told” event, organized by the Delta Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity and the Syracuse chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

“We’re excited about this event,” said television, radio and film senior Kelvin Sherman, who is also the NABJ president. “We wanted to discuss diversity issues within communications, so why not bring one of the top anchors in media?”

Cooper is the anchor of Anderson Cooper 360, which airs 8 p.m. daily on CNN. He also hosted his own daytime talk show, Anderson Live, until May 2013, when it was canceled.

“It’s the first time we brought someone outside of the African American race,” Sherman said. “We try to be inclusive and cater to the interests of the students on campus.” He said part of his organization’s mission is to include students who are not black to discuss prominent issues.

Cooper hosted the Mirror Awards, established by the Newhouse School in 2006 to honor excellence in journalism, in 2012. This will be his first time on campus.

Previous speakers of the Truth Be Told event include Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson and race scholar Cornel West.

"He's certainly a champion and advocate for equality," Sherman said. He expects a big turnout from students of all majors.

Tickets are available Wednesday at the Schine box office for two dollars.