GALA 2009: Honorees

Master of Ceremonies

Bob Schieffer
Anchor, Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer
CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent

2009 marks Bob Schieffer’s 52nd year as a reporter.  He has received virtually every award in broadcast journalism, but he feels the greatest honor was bestowed upon him in March 2005 when his alma mater, Texas Christian University, created the Schieffer School of Journalism. 

Schieffer anchored the “CBS Evening News” from March 10, 2005 to August 31, 2006, an 18 month period that saw a substantial increase in viewers.  Prior to that, Schieffer covered Washington for CBS News for more than 30 years and has served as the moderator of “Face the Nation,” CBS News’ Sunday public affairs broadcast, since 1991.  He is also CBS News’ chief Washington correspondent.

Schieffer is one of the few broadcast or print journalists to have covered all four major beats in the nation's capital -- the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Capitol Hill.  He became chief Washington correspondent in 1982.  He has covered every presidential campaign and been a floor reporter at all of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions since 1972.

In August 1996, Schieffer stepped down as anchor of the Saturday edition of the “CBS Evening News,” a post he held for 20 years.  He and his colleague, Dan Rather, now stand as the only two 20-year anchors of a regularly scheduled network news broadcast.

In 2008, The Washington Center recognized Bob Schieffer with its Lifetime Achievement Award during its annual event, Gala 2008: Engaging Voices in a Time of Change, held at the Newseum.  The event paid tribute to the media and the press as revered institutions of democracy. 

The Honorable Norm Dicks (D-WA)	The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)	His Excellency Welile Nhlapo	The Honorable Fidel Herrera Beltrán

Gala Award Descriptions (pdf)

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is an independent, non-profit educational organization founded in 1975.  Its mission is to prepare college and university students for civic leadership through experiential education.  In this way, The Washington Center seeks to promote future leadership for the private, public and nonprofit sectors of society.  It has served approximately 40,000 students from close to 1,000 colleges and universities located in the United States and around the world.  For additional information, please visit our website at www.twc.edu.