Pictured above: Tennessee Tech alumnus and financial industry leader Purna Saggurti.
In 2017, Saggurti was selected by then-Gov. Bill Haslam for a role on Tech’s inaugural Board of Trustees
Tennessee Tech University will welcome home one of its most prestigious alumni to deliver the spring commencement address Friday, May 9, in the university’s Hooper Eblen Center.
Purna Saggurti, a 1982 Tech graduate and former university trustee who has gone on to become one of the nation’s top financial industry leaders, will deliver in-person remarks at the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony, followed by a video address to graduates during the 2 p.m. ceremony.
Saggurti first came to Tech from his native India in 1980 to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering. Today, he is vice chairman of Bank of America and chairman of global corporate and investment banking. He was previously head of Americas at Merrill Lynch.
According to prepared remarks, Saggurti will encourage Tech graduates to remember, “Your future is very bright, but success is up to you.”
“You are very special – graduating from one of the preeminent universities in Tennessee,” reads an advance copy of Saggurti’s speech. “Tennessee Tech provided the foundation I needed. I will always be very grateful for that.”
In 2017, Saggurti was selected by then-Gov. Bill Haslam for a role on Tech’s inaugural Board of Trustees, where he served with distinction until 2021. A devoted philanthropist, Saggurti also serves on the board of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art and the executive board of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, among other causes.
Tech’s Board of Trustees recently voted unanimously to award Saggurti with an honorary Doctor of Finance, which will be formally bestowed at the morning commencement ceremony.
“Purna Saggurti is exemplary in his personal and professional life,” said Tech President Phil Oldham in a February 2025 letter advocating for Saggurti’s honorary degree. “He continues to be an excellent ambassador for Tech and another great example of what every Tech grad can achieve regardless of where they start or where they come from.”
Tech’s spring 2025 commencement ceremonies will recognize more than 1,400 graduates representing 78 Tennessee counties, 29 states and 25 other countries. The 9 a.m. ceremony will include the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts.
The 2:00 p.m. ceremony will include the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education & Human Sciences, the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing. Students from the College of Graduate Studies will be seated at both ceremonies based on their field of study.
Find additional information and watch a livestream of Tech’s commencement ceremonies HERE.
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