On Dec. 13, more than 2,100 graduates will be welcomed into the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s alumni family as they are honored during fall commencement ceremonies. The university will award approximately 1,412 undergraduate degrees and 709 graduate degrees and certificates.
Lamar Alexander, a former Tennessee governor who served as the university’s president from 1988 to 1991, will address graduates as the keynote speaker at the 9 a.m. undergraduate commencement ceremony.
He will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Educational Leadership and Policy degree from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences for his unwavering dedication to improving education at all levels.
Graduate hooding will take place at 3 p.m. Yolanda Buendia Barrientos, who is receiving a Master of Science in supply chain management, will deliver the address. Both ceremonies will be held in Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center and will be webcast live on the commencement website.
On the same day, eight cadets from Army ROTC and three from Air Force ROTC will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. armed forces. The Army ROTC commissioning ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building. The Air Force ROTC commissioning ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. in Alumni Memorial Building Room 210.