Tennessee Tech celebrates largest commencement in university history
Tennessee Tech University recognized more than 1,600 graduates today during the largest spring commencement in university history, with ceremonies held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Hooper Eblen Center.
The spring 2026 graduating class included students from 85 Tennessee counties, 32 states and 22 countries, with birth years ranging from 1957 to 2006.
Undergraduate degrees were awarded across 53 fields of study, while graduate degrees were awarded in 35 fields. A small number of students expected to complete their degrees at the conclusion of the university’s summer semester in August also participated in the day’s ceremonies.
“You are set to get a great return on your investment because you have what the world
wants and desperately needs: talent and tenacity,” said Tech President Phil Oldham
in remarks to graduates. “You have clearly demonstrated those high-value characteristics
that are embodied within the degree you receive today.”
The day held personal meaning for Oldham, whose daughter, Audrey, graduated cum laude during the morning ceremony with a degree from Tech’s School of Human Ecology.
During both ceremonies, graduates heard video messages from three commencement speakers: Bobby Wilder, head coach of Tech’s Golden Eagle football team; Hannah-Grace Boswell, a student leader and graduating senior earning a degree in molecular and cellular biology; and Larry Stone, president and general manager of Stonecom Radio.
Stone encouraged graduates to focus on listening to others and to keep looking ahead, saying “the rearview mirror is half the size of the windshield in front of you.”
“You’ve got so much excitement coming in your life,” he said. “A few setbacks, probably, too. But in the end, you’re going to be successful — and that starts with this education that you’ve received here at Tennessee Tech.”
Wilder, speaking from outside the university’s soon-to-be-completed football stadium and joined by his rescue dog, Khaleesi — dubbed the team’s “director of pawsitivity” — challenged the class of 2026 to “make your ambition your dream” and to “surround yourself with people on the same mission as you.”
“Everything you want in life is on the other side of hard,” he said. “You can get it. Stay positive … Eventually you will get to what you want to have accomplished in life.”
Video of Tech’s morning commencement ceremony — which included the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts — can be viewed here.
Video of Tech’s afternoon ceremony — which included the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Sciences, the College of Emerging and Integrative Studies and the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing — can be viewed here.
Students from the College of Graduate Studies received degrees during both ceremonies, depending on their field of study.
Tech is ranked the No. 1 public university in Tennessee by Money.com and a “Best National University” by U.S. News & World Report. The university offers more than 225 programs of study, and Tech graduates leave with the least debt of any public university in the state. Based on total cost and alumni earnings, Tech provides the highest return on investment of any public university in Tennessee, according to PayScale. Learn more at www.tntech.edu.