TTU Kicks Off Spring Semester As Students Return To Cookeville

More than 9,000 students back in Cookeville as Tennessee Tech starts its spring semester Thursday.

Chief Communication Officer Karen Lykins said it is a fresh start for returning students as well as some new students starting their education journey.

“As happens in the fall, people graduate, so a few less than who was here in the fall,” Lykins said. “You usually see between 90 and 92 percent of our student body return that didn’t graduate. So it is good. We are going to have a full campus.”

Lykins said the university started its Spring Kickoff to welcome back students. Lykins said a month of activities planned to get students back into action. Lykins said you can expect activities like movie nights, days of service and sporting events.

“It’s just a great way to connect with new people, because there are new students that join us in the spring,” Lykins said. “Some people don’t do the traditional fall start. They come in the spring, so these are ways to interact.”

Lykins said you may notice some additional traffic in the coming weeks. Lykins said the influx is a positive though as more consumers and workers return to Cookeville.

“That also means more money being spent, more activities and the workforce is back,” Lykins said. “That’s something we have to prepare for. I know restaurants and businesses probably will need to ramp up their people because of the extra traffic in town.”