Letterman appeared on the season premiere of Oprah Winfrey's talk show on Sept. 10 and told the host that the Sept. 7 dedication "was one of the great days of my life." He also described President Jo Ann M. Gora as "a wonderful woman."

As video from the ceremony rolled to Winfrey's millions of viewers, Letterman said, "It was one of those days that you think it is going to be one thing, and it turns out to be something completely different. It started out being a tour with Ball State President Jo Ann Gora - she's a wonderful woman - and then, when I saw the building with my name on it, my knees buckled … and it became altogether different."

Letterman also praised the programs being housed in the building bearing his name, telling Winfrey, "There may be communication schools around the country as good as that one, but there certainly are not schools any better than that. It was just tremendously impressive."