Former ABC White House correspondent Ann Compton spoke to numerous students, faculty and guests at Shippensburg University about her experiences as a reporter and her thoughts on the important issues journalists face today.

The event was held at H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Oct. 1, as part of SU’s “President’s Lecture Series,” which was organized in recognition of SU President George “Jody” Harpster’s inauguration as the 16th president of the university.

Her lecture intertwined with the three-part event.

All proceeds benefitted the SU Foundation’s Stewart Hall Restoration Fund, enabling the renovation of a historic building on campus.

Earlier in the evening, a private reception was held for invited guests. Due to her experience as a reporter, she spoke with such esteem to the crowd. She attained her liberal arts degree from Hollins College (now Hollins University), a school that did not have a communications or a journalism department. She received her first internship in 1969 at a local CBS station in Virginia, which led to her first full-time position as a reporter. At 26, she moved on to become a network correspondent for ABC.

Throughout Compton’s career, she reported on the White House and had an inside look at many of our nation’s historic moments. She used the time she had at the reception to provide those in attendance with knowledge for the future.

At 27 years old, she walked up the White House driveway. At such a young age, with a lack of experience, she was viewed at a disadvantage, according to Compton. Big-name journalists worked alongside her, but that did not hinder her passion. She introduced herself to the deputy chief of staff at the time, Dick Cheney, telling him that “she would be a force to be reckoned with.”

Compton stressed that her success was still possible along with her life as a mother and wife, acknowledging one can have it all. She has been married for 37 years and has four children.

“You’ll never be home for every birthday…but you can do it both,” she said. “You can do a family life and have a very fulfilling professional life.

Following the reception, a dinner was held in the Tuscarora Room. Harpster was honored for his efforts with SU students.

Joel Zullinger, chairperson of the Board of Directors of the SU Foundation, presented Harpster with a plaque, and James Ptaszynski, senior fellow of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, talked about his relationship with Harpster.

Ptaszynski worked with Harpster at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He knew that Harpster had a special way with individuals and it was a key reason why he is now president.

“Be bold and support each other,” he said, offering advice to Harpster and SU. “Not only is Shippensburg a great university today, it can be a great university tomorrow.”

A final presentation from former SU President William Ruud followed. He traveled from the University of Northern Iowa, where he is now president, to support Harpster during his inauguration.

“Jody is one of those people you only meet so often in your career. He is a trusted friend of mine,” he said. “This is a time for this university to join together.” Ruud believes that with Harpster as president, “the sky is the limit.”

President Harpster quickly thanked those who were involved with the inauguration and who attended the lecture series. He borrowed words from Pope Francis, stemming from his high hopes for his term.

“Grace is not a part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls.

“We all have the duty to do good,” Harpster said, repeating Francis’ words.

Compton, who was the featured speaker for the pre-inauguration ceremony, briefly stepped up to speak. In reference to a focus of her lecture to follow, she noted that most U.S. presidents barely last two terms, but Harpster is “coming back for more.”

She mentioned this topic a numerous times during her lecture at Luhrs. Many seats were filled, with guests eager to hear what insight Compton was prepared to thrust upon them.

She had the opportunity to cover seven presidents in 40 years. Within those years, Compton had an inside look at the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, President Bill Clinton’s impeachment and the Sept. 11 attacks.

“It just happened to be my day,” she said, concerning her location when news broke of the attack on the twin towers. Compton watched as President George W. Bush was informed by a Secret Service agent of what occurred in New York while he was reading to students at a classroom in Florida.

Bush and Compton were aboard Air Force One when the Pentagon was struck, halting their return to Washington, D.C. She made it clear that Bush wanted nothing more than to return to the White House to deal with the problem at hand.

Through this experience and others, Compton was able to uncover more information about presidents that the media would otherwise not understand. Both the presidents and the candidates are under an extreme level of pressure, causing the elections to become much more than that.

“George W. Bush was elected because on Sept. 11…our world was changed,” she said.

“In 2015-2016, we have a new way to measure the impact of candidates.”

She spoke of this in relation to social media and its growth over the years.

Audience members followed up with questions regarding her concern for this new generation of journalists, as she noted that her decision to retire was made with them in mind. Compton stressed her worry as there are no longer the same ethical concerns that there were in the past, or as high a quality of fact-checking. She also discussed her thoughts as an unbiased journalist, specifically during times of elections.

By the end of the lecture, Compton left the students, faculty, staff and guests on their feet in admiration and applause.

“Yes, I worry,” Compton said, “But I do think this next generation of journalists is up to it.”

Contributions from Mary Grace Keller.

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