Louisiana Tech University conferred 1,107 degrees upon graduates of the Spring Class of 2026 during two ceremonies in the Thomas Assembly Center on a stormy Saturday morning and afternoon. The new Tech graduates join nearly 119,000 University alumni worldwide.
The keynote speaker for both ceremonies was Billy McConnell, a 1970 Chemical Engineering graduate of Tech whose diverse and successful corporate and entrepreneurial career has spanned more than five decades.
Offering stories of inspiration, tragedy, and faith, McConnell centered his address around powerful personal anecdotes, ranging from his grandfather’s definition of being a "millionaire" through family, the sudden loss of a colleague in a plane crash, and a story of his son-in-law's winning battle with cancer.
“Life is a gift, and life is not fully in our control, but the way we respond to it is,” McConnell said during his address. “56 years ago, I was sitting where you are. I had no idea what life would hold. Neither do you. But that's not something to fear; it's something to embrace.”
Notable graduates included Emma Foltz, whose leadership helped protect the lives of young campers during the devastating 2025 Camp Mystic flood; Olivia Grace George, Miss Louisiana 2024 and a former member of the Regal Blues dance team; and four students who dedicated time in their college careers to bringing the University’s costumed mascot Champ to life. Eight students were commissioned into the United States Air Force, and two students were commissioned into the United States Army. Twenty-three undergraduates celebrated the honor of maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout college, and 14 doctorate degrees were awarded across a range of disciplines.
In the afternoon ceremony, President Jim Henderson presented degrees to his youngest son Alexander and his daughter-in-law Henlee Hoffer; the newlyweds married just two days before graduation.
The thunder and heavy rain did little to dampen the spirits of the Class of 2026, the heavily attended ceremonies punctuating the end of Louisiana Tech’s 2025-26 school year.
View Photos from the 2:30 Ceremony (Engineering & Science, Liberal Arts)