The University of Vermont has announced the speakers for its 225th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16.

UVM President Dr. Marlene Tromp will deliver the traditional address to the graduates as she presides over her first commencement since taking leadership of the university last summer.

Two-time Olympic medalist cross-country skier Ben Ogden will deliver a special guest address at the ceremony. A fourth-generation Vermonter, Ogden grew up in Landgrove, Vt. He graduated from UVM in 2022 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Ogden will be introduced by Interim Provost Linda Schadler, who was his academic advisor and dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences during his time as a student at UVM.

“I remember Ben as funny, hard-working, and fun,” Schadler said. “The way he balanced his academics with his athletic commitments was really impressive.”

Ogden earned two silver medals in cross-country skiing events at the Cortina Winter Games, becoming the first Catamount to score multiple podium spots at an Olympics.

Ogden’s silver in the February 10 men’s sprint broke a 50-year medal drought for the national XC ski team, making him the first U.S. man to medal in any cross-country event since Vermont native Bill Koch won silver at the 1976 Winter Olympics, in Innsbruck, Austria. Eight days later, on Feb. 18, Ogden and his teammate, Gus Schumacher, earned silver in the men’s cross-country team sprint.

The other featured speaker for commencement weekend will be Lewis First at the Larner College of Medicine’s ceremony on Sunday, May 17. First is retiring after more than 30 years as professor and chair of UVM’s Department of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

This year’s UVM Commencement will feature a format change from years past: The main ceremony will be held on the university green on Saturday, May 16, instead of the traditional Sunday. Individual school and college ceremonies will be held on campus and at the Champlain Valley Expo Center.

Full details and updates can be found on the UVM Commencement website at www.uvm.edu/commencement.