Pauley says that she will address the impact of working parenthood in America. Pauley, who grew up in Indianapolis with a mother who was a homemaker, says she is particularly interested in the problems facing the first generation raised by two working parents.

"If [people] have full-time careers, they can't be full-time parents. Let's worry about that question," says Pauley. "We have to decide whether we're doing [the children] justice, or if we're rationalizing."

Parental Responsibility

Pauley says she thinks parenting is a heady experience, and that she believes parents have a greater responsibility to society because they need to worry about the future of their children.

"The gist of my speech is worry. The world is a difficult place to raise children," Pauley says.

The news anchor says she is a little nervous about addressing the Class of 1989. "Following Mother Theresa is a little terrifying," Pauley says.

She also says she is somewhat daunted to be speaking the day before Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto '73, who will give the Commencement address tomorrow. But she says she does not worry about comparison between the two speeches because Bhutto--who is, as Pauley notes, a working mother--will give a speech with a more global focus, while she will address American social issues.

"Domestic issues are every bit as crucial as other issues. The issues on the homefront--I don't see them as lesser issues," Pauley says.

Pauley, who is not paid for making the speech, will pay for travel and work time lost herself. She says she felt the invitation to speak at Harvard was "not something you turn down lightly--it gives you an opportunity to think about things."

Apparently, Pauley has spent some time of her own thinking about "things." The tone of her speech will not be one of despair, but of caution about the future that is, for her, a source of concern.

"Having children is an optimistic act--that the world will be a fit place for another generation. But sometimes it seems the world is becoming less and less hospitable for humanity," Pauley says.