NEWS

Photo URL: To download a photo of Cosby, see bottom of release.

CHAPEL HILL -- Bill Cosby, a champion of education, will deliver the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s spring commencement address, Chancellor James Moeser has announced.

Moeser will preside at the ceremony, to be held May 18, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. in Kenan Stadium. Cosby also will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

"I am delighted that Bill Cosby has accepted the university’s invitation to give the commencement address next spring," Moeser said. "Although he is perhaps best known for his humor and innovations as a performer and actor, Mr. Cosby also has earned well-deserved recognition and national prominence as an educator and humanitarian.

"His longtime personal interest in and support of education is noteworthy, and his message will be one of inspiration for our graduates as well as for their families," he said. "We are so pleased that such a dominant force in American culture will be coming to share a special day in Chapel Hill."

Senior Class President Paymon Rouhanifard agreed.

"I think Bill Cosby is a wonderful choice that both students and faculty will enjoy hearing at commencement," he said. "Not only is he one of the most beloved comedians of our generation, Mr. Cosby is also a great spokesperson for higher education."

Cosby was born to William and Anna Cosby in 1937 in Philadelphia, Pa. Calling himself a "late bloomer," he did not realize the value of a formal education until after the first four days of boot camp in the U.S. Navy. "Four years later in May, when I got out of the Navy," he said, "I hit the ground running from Norfolk, Va., and immediately enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia."

Cosby is well known for his commitment to education. He emphatically believes that the best assurance for a satisfying and rewarding life begins with knowledge. Cosby went back to college, long after he had achieved much of his professional success to obtain a master’s degree as well as an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He has applied this further education in his professional life.

Cosby has never stopped realizing the importance of challenging himself. "People always say, ‘You don’t need money, why are you still working?’" he said. "My answer is that it isn’t about money. That’s academic. It’s about accepting the challenges of one’s own ideas, clarifying the unanswered questions and pursuing the excitement of discovery."

Cosby said he enjoyed the opportunity to address graduating college students. "It is always a pleasure to see those fresh faces of the new graduates," he said. "It’s also fun to notice the relieved smiles of the parents who are wondering, ‘Are they going to be all right?’ The unanswered questions are now really directed at them."

Cosby’s wife, Camille, is equally passionate about education and has also earned an Ed.D. Together, they have donated funds to a wide range of universities and delivered commencement addresses to further emphasize the importance of learning.

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Photo Note: To download a photo of Cosby, go to http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/visiting/cosby_bill091302.jpg

News Services contact: Karen Moon, (919)962-8595