Tennessee Tech anticipates largest spring commencement in university history at May 8 ceremonies
Tennessee Tech University will recognize more than 1,600 graduates at what is expected to be the largest spring commencement in university history on Friday, May 8. Commencement exercises will be held in two ceremonies at the university’s Hooper Eblen Center.
The morning ceremony begins at 9 a.m. and will include the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts.
The afternoon ceremony begins at 2 p.m. and will include the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Education & Human Sciences, the College of Emerging & Integrative Studies and the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing.
Students from the College of Graduate Studies will participate in both ceremonies based on their field of study.
Spring 2026 graduates represent 85 counties across Tennessee, 32 states and 22 other countries. Undergraduate students will earn degrees in 53 fields of study, while graduate students will earn degrees in 35 fields of study.
Birth dates of students from the spring 2026 class range from 1957 to 2006, proof that an education at Tech can be for everyone, regardless of age.
A small number of students expected to complete their degrees during the university’s summer semester in August will also participate in the spring ceremonies.
Professor Emeritus Douglas Airhart will serve as official macebearer for both ceremonies. He retired in December 2025 after more than 40 years of service in the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology.
The ceremonies will also feature pre-recorded messages from prominent Golden Eagles and community leaders, including:
- Tennessee Tech Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder, who led the Golden Eagle football team to historic success, including its first 11-win
season, back-to-back OVC-Big South Football Association championships and its first
outright conference title in 50 years;
- Tennessee Tech graduating senior Hannah-Grace Boswell, who will receive a degree in molecular and cellular biology and has served as a Student
Orientation Assistant and President’s Ambassador; and
- Tennessee radio legend Larry Stone, president and general manager of Stonecom Radio, an eight-station group based in Cookeville. He has served 17 years as executive producer and gameday host for Titans Radio, helping grow the network into one of the largest in sports.
To watch the live stream of the commencement ceremonies, visit www.tntech.edu/commencement.