Tennessee Tech University conferred degrees to more than 1,000 new graduates today during its fall commencement ceremonies, held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the university’s Hooper Eblen Center.

The fall 2025 graduating class included students from 76 Tennessee counties, 25 states and 12 other countries, with birth years ranging from 1959 to 2006.

Undergraduate degrees were awarded across 50 fields of study, and graduate degrees were awarded in 36 fields.

“This will always be your home,” said Thomas Payne, dean of Tech’s College of Business, in remarks to graduates. “You belong to this community and campus. Through your dedication and service, you have significantly contributed to its strength and spirit, making sure everyone knows that Cookeville is Tennessee’s College Town.”

Payne filled in for Tech President Phil Oldham, who was briefly under the weather.

During both ceremonies, graduates heard video messages from three commencement speakers, including 1991 Tech graduate Melinda Mott Leftwich. Leftwich is the founder and executive director of Game On Accessible Tennis, a nonprofit offering free tennis programming to children and adults of all disabilities and skill levels.

This year, the organization introduced a wheelchair tennis program, hosted its first tournament, added a satellite location and engaged dozens of athletes and volunteers. Leftwich said she expects participation to double in 2026.

“It has been one of the busiest, most rewarding years of my life – and the confidence to tackle such a huge, scary, meaningful project 100% relates back to my days as a student leader here at Tech,” she said.

Leftwich encouraged graduates to “never underestimate the power of a dream,” adding, “When you’re exactly where you need to be, you’ll know it.”

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 at both ceremonies, depending on their field of study.

Tech is ranked as 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.