Comedy Central's Colbert addresses graduates

 
Contact:
Jeff Watkins
843.792.3906
watkinsj@musc.edu

May 20, 2009

Comedy Central's Colbert addresses graduates

Stephen Colbert, host of “The Colbert Report” on cable TV’s Comedy Central, was the featured speaker at the 180th Commencement of the Medical University of South Carolina on May 15. Approximately 815 graduates received their degrees from MUSC’s six colleges (Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy) during the outdoor ceremony in the Horseshoe on the MUSC campus.

Colbert received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Other honorees and their degrees include:

• William H. Best, chair and CEO, Thermal Engineering Corporation, Doctor of Science, honoris causa;

• Eugene W. Cochrane, president of The Duke Endowment, Doctor of Humane Letters;

• S.C. Rep. Tracy R. Edge, House District 104, Horry County, Doctor of Humane Letters;

• Marion E. Woodbury, special assistant to the MUSC president, Doctor of Humane Letters.

Colbert, the youngest of 11 siblings, grew up in Charleston where his father was vice president for academic affairs and provost at MUSC. He attended Virginia’s Hampden Sydney College and graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, where he trained and performed with the famed Second City comedy troupe. He later moved to New York City and worked with network and cable television programs, including Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which earned numerous Emmy and Peabody awards. In 2005, he became host of his own wildly popular show on Comedy Central.

He resides in the New York area with his wife and three children.


About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.6 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.

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