By Coral Gables Gazette staff
The University of Miami concluded its Spring 2026 Commencement on May 11, marking the end of four days of ceremonies that brought together more than 4,500 graduates, their families, and a roster of speakers drawn from law, medicine, entertainment, and professional sports. From the Watsco Center’s undergraduate celebrations to the School of Law’s centennial milestone, the week reflected the breadth of an institution that has grown from a first graduating class of 13 students in 1929 to one of the nation’s most recognized research universities.
Olsen tells graduates: Get better, forever
More than 2,680 undergraduate degrees were conferred during four ceremonies held May 7 and 8 at the Watsco Center on the Coral Gables campus. Former NFL tight end and Miami Hurricanes standout Greg Olsen addressed the first cohort — graduates from the College of Engineering, the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, and the School of Nursing and Health Studies — with a philosophy he described as “perpetual improvement.”
“The key is just to keep moving,” Olsen told graduates. “My life is not a snapshot of a given time where we are forever compared to others at the same moment. If that was what life was, in all those moments, I never would have been in the lead.”
Olsen’s own path to the NFL was neither direct nor certain. He originally enrolled at Notre Dame before transferring to Miami, where he spent his early days convinced he was outmatched. “I called home and told my dad, ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to play here,'” he recalled. His father’s response was characteristically brief: figure it out. You’re not transferring again.
Olsen cracked Miami’s starting lineup as a sophomore, finished his collegiate career with 87 catches for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns, and entered the NFL in 2007 as a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears. He went on to three Pro Bowl selections with the Carolina Panthers and a Super Bowl appearance. He is now a two-time Sports Emmy Award-winning analyst for Fox Sports.
But the chapter that carried the most weight in his address was personal. During his time with the Panthers, his son T.J. was born with a severe congenital heart defect. “T.J. would go on to have four open heart surgeries before he was 2 and a heart transplant at the age of 8,” Olsen said. “I think sometimes it’s okay to just let life happen.”
He closed with a distinction that landed quietly. “There’s nothing wrong with the concept of being great. Chasing greatness fuels everything we do. But in your pursuit of greatness, don’t forget to also be good, because there’s a lot of value in being good as you worry about being great.”
Actor Danny RamÃrez, known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and the Avengers franchise, addressed the Herbert Business School graduates during the May 8 ceremonies, urging them to believe in themselves and begin even when they feel unready. RamÃrez was presented with a Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, during the afternoon ceremony. University President Joe Echevarria, himself a 1978 graduate, told all the graduates that their degrees represent more than knowledge acquired. “You developed habits, discipline, responsibility, resilience, and the ability to follow through,” he said. “Those habits will serve you well in every chapter ahead.”
Law school marks a centennial
The School of Law and the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine held their commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 9. The law school honored 404 graduates while simultaneously marking its 100-year anniversary.
“You are a class 100 years in the making,” said Patricia Sanchez Abril, dean of the School of Law. “In 1926 Miami Law welcomed its very first class in the Anastasia Building in Coral Gables. Today, we stand together as a nationally and internationally respected institution — and you are the centennial class that carries our legacy into its second century.”
The degrees conferred spanned several programs: 334 Juris Doctor degrees, 53 Master of Laws degrees, 16 Master of Legal Studies degrees, and one Doctor of Juridical Science.
The commencement address was delivered by the Honorable Roy K. Altman, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida and, at the time of his appointment, the youngest federal district court judge in the nation. Drawing on his family’s history of fleeing political persecution in Europe, Altman urged graduates to look beyond personal success. “You will be the essential stewards — the only guardians — of that intimate and inspiring relationship between a free people and its government,” he told the centennial class.
The student speaker was Yelyzaveta Aleksyeyeva, a native of Ukraine who completed her legal education with English as her third language, and who is set to join the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office as an assistant state attorney. “The true measure of the success we earned at Miami Law will not be the volume of our voice but the impact of its weight,” she told her peers.
The centennial class joins an alumni body of more than 27,000 lawyers who trace their degrees to a school that began with 13 graduates in 1929.
Miller School graduates enter a changing landscape
In an afternoon ceremony on May 9, 217 graduates from the Miller School of Medicine crossed the stage. Former University of Miami President Dr. Julio Frenk — now Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles — served as commencement speaker and received an honorary degree. Frenk reflected on the resilience of the Class of 2026 and the evolving responsibilities of physicians in a globalized world. His presence carried particular resonance for a medical school he helped shape during his decade leading the university.
Frost School bids farewell to a dean
The Frost School of Music marked the season with its annual All-Student Forum on April 24, which carried additional emotional weight: the farewell of retiring dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg, who led the school for 18 years. When Berg took the stage at Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, students and faculty rose in a standing ovation he greeted with characteristic lightness. “I should just retire,” he said to laughter. “That’s the best ovation I ever got.”
His closing words were more serious. “What thousands of students like you will do to change the world is impossible to measure. What I will miss is the ever-renewing spirit of your brilliance. It will be irreplaceable in my life.”
The forum recognized outstanding seniors across every department. Flutist Benjamin Novotny was named both the Outstanding Senior for Instrumental Performance and the Overall Outstanding Senior, and received the Undergraduate Presser Scholar award. Drummer Brenten Handfield was honored for Jazz Performance, singer and songwriter Athena Pacanins for the Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship program, and Emma Terlizzi for Music Therapy. The ceremony concluded as it always does — with the outstanding vocalist leading the room in the university’s Alma Mater. This year, Berg himself was at the piano.
Doctoral and master’s degrees close the ceremonies
The spring commencement concluded May 11 with two ceremonies conferring more than 1,200 master’s and doctoral degrees. Steven Ullmann, professor and director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the Herbert Business School, delivered the address, encouraging graduates to explore, experiment, and find their passion — and to help others find theirs.
The University of Miami’s commencement is among the most significant annual civic events on the Coral Gables calendar. The university was founded in 1926 — the same year the city was incorporated — and the two have been woven together ever since. The Class of 2026 graduates into a professional landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainty, and a health-care system in transition. The speakers assembled across four days addressed those realities in different registers, but the through line held: the education is complete. The work begins now.
