Every spring, well-known and accomplished figures deliver commencement addresses at college campuses around the country, offering graduates advice, wisdom and inspiration as they embark on their next chapter.
At the University of Maryland, graduates are likely to receive words of encouragement on May 21, 2025, as the university announced on Wednesday that their commencement speaker would be none other than the world’s most famous amphibian: Kermit the Frog.
“I am thrilled that our graduates and their families will experience the optimism and insight of the world-renowned Kermit the Frog at such a meaningful time in their lives,” Darryll J. Pines, president of the University of Maryland, said of Kermit, known for his leading roles on “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street.”
The university teased its commencement speaker in a video reveal on Wednesday, lauding the speaker as an international superstar, best-selling author, environmental advocate and Peabody award winner.
“Uh, I guess it’s me,” Kermit said, appearing at the end of the video and flashing a big smile.
The commencement speech will be a homecoming of sorts for Kermit, whose creator, Jim Henson, graduated from the university in 1960 and where a bronze statue of Kermit and Mr. Henson sits in a campus garden. Mr. Henson made the first version of Kermit out of his mother’s old coat and a pingpong ball cut in half for eyes. Mr. Henson, who died in 1990, was the original voice behind Kermit, often referring to the slightly snarky but wise frog as his alter ego.
“Nothing could make these feet happier than to speak at the University of Maryland,” Kermit said in a statement. “I just know the class of 2025 is going to leap into the world and make it a better place, so if a few encouraging words from a frog can help, then I’ll be there!”
Although commencement addresses are often given by well-known people, colleges have at times thought outside the box. Last year, D’Youville University in Buffalo had an A.I. robot speak at its commencement, drawing mixed reactions from students, faculty members and other attendees.
And this won’t be Kermit’s first rodeo. In 1996, he delivered a commencement address to the graduating class of Southampton College, then part of Long Island University, where he received an honorary doctorate of amphibious letters for his helping raise environmental awareness.
Many graduating students decorated their gowns with green stickers that read “Kermit ’96,” The New York Times reported, though not all students were thrilled to see a puppet at the podium.
Still, if the past is any indication, Kermit will deliver a positive message to the University of Maryland Terps. At the 1996 commencement, Kermit’s speech included a few ribbits, which he translated for the audience.
“May success and a smile always be yours,” The Washington Post reported he said, “even when you’re knee deep in the sticky muck of life.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/us/kermit-the-frog-commencement-speech-maryland.html
