Bill Moyers - journalist, filmmaker, author - has been a central figure in the nation's exploration of ideas. He earned a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He began his career at small-town newspapers and pulpits before entering public service as Special Assistant and White House Press Secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson. After resuming his journalism career as publisher of Newsday, he turned from print to television in 1971 as producer and host of Bill Moyers' Journal for PBS and later as commentator for CBS and founder of Public Affairs Television in 1986. He has produced some of television's most incisive investigative documentaries, exploring global issues and providing an informed perspective on American political, economic and social concerns. Several of his television programs became best-selling books. He has received virtually every major television journalism honor, including more than 30 Emmy Awards, a lifetime Peabody Award and election to the Television Hall of Fame and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. For his role as an explorer and interpreter of American ideas and ideals, Southern Methodist University is honored to confer upon Bill Moyers the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.