“The key to a good story (is) finding a person, getting out of the way, letting them talk and letting them tell their story,” said Anderson Cooper during the Bryan Series student Q&A at the Community Center on April 19.
And what a story he had.
Cooper, anchor of CNN’s “Anderson 360°” and a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” presented at the Greensboro Coliseum as part of the Bryan Series at 3:30 p.m. on April 19.
At both events, Cooper began with an introduction followed by a Q&A session, in which the audience got a chance to ask him questions. The anchor was quizzed on a variety of topics from the outlook in Iraq to his strange friendship with Kathy Griffin. Throughout the presentation, Cooper maintained a calm persona while effortlessly making an audience of over 3,000 erupt in laughter.
“I thought it was awesome that he came here,” said Chloe Williams, a sophomore who attended the event. “It’s such a small campus, and we don’t necessarily get a lot of big name speakers, but there are so many people that are so knowledgeable and passionate about what’s going on in the world. I think it’s great that he came here, took the time to speak to us and answered some of our questions. I’m really glad I got to be here.”
While Cooper proved to be very down-to-earth, cracking jokes about “anchor monsters” and the value of his Yale education, he also shared some of the heartbreaking stories he witnessed during his career.
“What’s most compelling about (journalism) isn’t going to a place where gunshots are going off … it’s about people who are trying to live good, decent lives in the midst of chaos and horror,” said Cooper. “Those are the stories that are there when I close my eyes every night.”
The only question left to ask is what is next for the Bryan Series.
“We’re working on making (the Bryan Series) 100 percent sustainable,” said Associate Vice President of the Office of Communications and Marketing Ty Buckner. “We’re working on a plan which will eliminate (the use of) college money to pay any extra staff and labor. It’s already unique in the college world, but our goal is to make it entirely funded outside the school.”
The series, which began over 10 years ago, has brought to Greensboro many leaders in their field, including Bill Clinton and Sanjay Gupta. One look at the 2015-16 lineup proves that the series will continue to do so.
Next season’s visitors include Malcolm Gladwell, Atul Gawande, Robin Wright, Jon Meacham and George Takei.
