Dear Horned Frogs,
TCU’s commencement in May was a moment of joy shared by all. On the field and from the stage, it was a thrill to congratulate our newest graduates and join in this landmark moment.
With the purple confetti now settled and the Class of 2026 settling into a new season of life, my heart is full of gratitude. I am grateful for every graduate who trusted TCU with these formative years, for the families who walked beside them from the very beginning, for the faculty and staff whose dedication made commencement – and the four years before it – possible.
When I reflect on it all, one image keeps returning to me. The image of the field.
This spring, for the first time, we gathered as one group for a single all-university commencement, and we did it where so much of the TCU story is written: on Moncrief Field at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
There was a quiet poetry in that choice. Four years ago, as wide-eyed first-year students, many of these same graduates celebrated their earliest days at TCU on this field. Most were meeting for the first time, and they were at the dawn of countless achievements and experiences that will last a lifetime.
On commencement night, they returned to that field, more than 2,800 strong, no longer guessing at who they might become but ready to show the world and ready to Lead On. They began their TCU journey together on that grass, and together on that grass they closed this chapter.
I told our graduates that night that TCU has helped change them, and now it is their turn to change the world. I meant every word. These are students who came to us from 46 states and 48 countries, and who will scatter just as widely, carrying our values with them: integrity, community, engagement and excellence.
Some will build businesses. Some will run for office. Others will teach, heal the sick and comfort the hurting. Some will build, create, discover and lead in rooms we cannot yet imagine.
Few institutions have the privilege of sending thousands of talented, values-centered graduates into the world each year prepared not only to succeed but to lead with purpose. That is the power of higher education, and specifically, the power of a TCU education. It is life changing for our graduates, and it will be life changing for everyone they meet and lead for decades to come.
And, of course, there was the moment that reminded the whole country what makes this place special.
If you have spent any time on our campus, you know SuperFrog. You also know the rule: SuperFrog’s identity is a closely guarded secret, and that mystery is part of the magic. What a delight it was when not one, but two graduates lifted that famous Horned Frog head and revealed their identities on stage.
Matt Lowe, a criminology and criminal justice major, and Logan Lowery, a musical theater major, stood side-by-side as SuperFrog. It was a rare and joyful thing. The nation noticed, too. NBC Nightly News and anchor Tom Llamas featured our reveal as part of a growing tradition of mascots stepping out of the shadows at graduation. I was proud, though not surprised, that the moment that millions around the country saw, was one of pure TCU joy.
But the more I sit with it, the more I believe that moment was about something deeper than a fun surprise. For years, Matt and Logan brought energy, comfort and laughter to fans, children, families and strangers, and they did it without ever being seen. They asked for no credit. They sought no spotlight. As Logan put it, SuperFrog represents the magic of TCU, a place that leans in, cheers you on and supports you to the end.
That is service in its purest form, and it is exactly what I hoped to leave our graduates with as my final charge: give more than you take.
That is the lesson hiding inside the SuperFrog costume. The best of TCU is not the applause we receive but the good we do quietly, faithfully and for the love of this community. Our graduates learned to live with integrity, to belong to a community where differences are debated with civility and grace, to stay curious and engaged and to pursue excellence the TCU way. Now they will carry those values into every room they enter, often when no one is watching.
So, to the Class of 2026, I will say again what I said on the field. Do not be afraid to ask for help, because more than 100,000 living alumni are ready to answer the call. Do not be afraid to fail, because stumbles only make us stronger when we get back up.
And always, give back.
You walked off that field with far more than a degree. You walked off with a chance to do something that matters.
You may have begun your journey on that field as strangers. You finished it as a Horned Frog family. And because of the education, values and relationships you found here, I am confident you will leave every place you enter better than you found it.
Daniel W. Pullin
