Think of me as the last obstacle between you and your degree. Don't screw it up. One sign of the times is that Southampton College brought in Kermit the Frog as commencement speaker two years ago. Kermit was apparently the first fictional amphibian to address graduates anywhere on Long Island. Entertainment celebrities like Kermit are the latest fad in commencement speakers.
Entertainment is what today's commencement talks are all about.
One friend who had just spoken at a large western university's graduation faxed me his text, which was very funny. Besides, these new grads were weaned on sitcoms. They expect a joke every 20 seconds. A Nexis search of recent commencement addresses was vaguely reassuring. Nexis said nothing about whether the students paid any attention.