COOKEVILLE – Preparations are in full swing on the campus of Tennessee Tech University to welcome back about 10,000 students this fall. Students begin moving back into the residence halls starting on Aug. 11 with classes starting on Aug. 18.
“We are looking forward to one of the largest freshman classes in our history,” said Karen Lykins, interim vice president for enrollment management and career placement and chief communication officer. “Tennessee Tech is poised to make the most gains in freshman enrollment since 2013, which is great news for both the university and Cookeville.”
Lykins emphasizes the positive effect the new Presidential Scholars program that launched last fall had on enrollment growth. This program offers guaranteed scholarships to high school students who meet the minimum criteria, and the scholarships range from $3,000 up to $5,000 annually and are renewable. These new scholarships will be effective starting this fall for any new freshmen who met the requirements and submitted their application for admission by Dec. 15. More information on the program is available here: tntech.edu/wingsup.
“It takes a team effort to bring in this many students,” added Lykins. “Tech is blessed with talented staff and faculty that go the extra mile to show how we put students first on our campus and teach them how to live wings up. I also can’t overstate the all the hard work and contributions from our dedicated staff on the admissions team, enrollment management and communications and marketing.”
In addition to the residence hall move-in days, which will be staggered by appointment from Aug. 11-14, many events are planned on campus to welcome back students. These include the annual Week of Welcome, which runs Aug. 11-20. Week of Welcome events include an art therapy paint night, faith-based organizations and churches fair, movie night at Tucker Stadium, yoga on the Quad and much more.
Also, Tech’s annual Pride Days celebration will soon be underway to paint Cookeville purple and gold. To help the community celebrate, Tech Pride yard signs will be free and available for pick up on campus. An announcement will be made when new signs are available. For next week, Cookeville businesses are encouraged welcome back students by creating purple and gold window or lobby displays, have a welcome message on their marquees or have their employees wear Tech purple and gold.
Tennessee Tech is ranked as the number one public university in the state, according to Money Magazine, as well as a “Best National University” by U.S. News & World Report. The university offers more than 200-plus programs of study, and Tech grads leave with the least debt of all public universities in the state. In fact, based on total cost and alumni earnings, Tech provides students with the highest return on investment for any public university in Tennessee, according to PayScale.
Find out more at tntech.edu.
