News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Tennessee Tech welcomed the Class of 2028 Monday with its annual convocation ceremony.
President Phil Oldham said students will find adventure, friendship, and success during their time at the university. Oldham said they officially all now belong to the Cookeville community and welcomed them to their new home.
“You are a very talented class of incoming freshmen,” Oldham said. “From this moment you will be known as bold, fearless, confident, and kind. It’s our job here at Tennessee Tech to help you grow in all those areas so that you will soar into your future.”
Vice President for Enrollment & Communication Karen Lykins said the class is one of the five biggest freshman classes Tech has ever seen at over two thousand students. Lykins said said the class features students from eighty-eight counties of Tennessee, thirty other states, and nineteen other countries.
“Nine-hundred and sixty one of you already have college credit from a hundred and six other places,” Lykins said. “And that totals, this is ridiculous, 15,623 credit hours you just walked in the door with. Quite a feat considering you just graduated high school a few months ago.”
Dr. Susan Wells said that with Tennessee Tech students are not just gaining a degree, but a community.
“You will find at Tech that “students first” is not just a marketing phrase,” Wells said. “We are a very student-centric faculty, administration, and staff. We are here to help you succeed. We believe in you and we want to see that success.”
Provost Lori Mann Bruce led the class through the university’s academic oath of integrity, which swears to uphold truth, the standards and traditions of Tech, and the university’s principles.
“It is a privilege to enter into a college or a university,” Bruce said. “And we at Tennessee Tech pride ourselves on our university’s academic reputation. A reputation that is created by the pursuit of learning. A reputation that is not only created by our faculty and staff, but it’s also created by you as students.”
