COMMENCEMENT IS A FAMILY AFFAIR AS HUSBAND AND WIFE RECEIVE MBA DEGREES

COMMENCEMENT IS A FAMILY AFFAIR AS HUSBAND AND WIFE RECEIVE MBA DEGREES

MARTIN, Tenn. – Spring commencement was nothing short of a family affair for Luke and

Tiffany Eccles, of College Grove, Tennessee, in Williamson County. Both received Master of Business

Administration degrees May 6 during the first of three spring commencement ceremonies at the

University of Tennessee at Martin. The Friday ceremony at 6 p.m. in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center

recognized graduates receiving master’s degrees. Undergraduate students received their degrees during

the two Saturday ceremonies.

Each ceremony was live-streamed on the UT Martin Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Graduates represented 65 Tennessee counties, 31 states and the District of Columbia, and three countries

outside of the U.S. Participants for the three ceremonies totaled 598 graduates.

The Eccles are new Tennessee residents and considered MBA program options with a preference

for earning University of Tennessee degrees. UT Martin’s MBA program offered through UT Martin

Online fit the couple’s professional and family needs. They considered whether to pursue degrees

together or alternate being in school but ultimately chose to pursue the program together. “This way we

had like a ‘study partner,’” Tiffany said following the ceremony. “It actually helped us to do it (complete

the program) together because then we could talk about it, and we got done at the same time and didn’t

have to drag it out.” The Eccles completed their degrees completely online so had never visited campus

until commencement.

Luke holds a bachelor’s degree from MacMurray College and Tiffany a degree from Bradley

University, both in Illinois. Luke is a business analyst for Hennessy Industries in LaVergne, and Tiffany

is a commercial manager for Mars Fishcare, where she works in procurement and supplier quality. The

degrees have already made a difference professionally for both.

Luke said what he learned in the program has given him more confidence with his business

knowledge. “I knew I had a lot of it before (business knowledge), but just going through this program …

gave me a degree to show that I have a lot of business acumen, so (I’m) looking to use that in the future.”

Tiffany’s company supported her graduate-degree work and, knowing that she was about to graduate, she

received a promotion last month to a team-leader position.

Besides the professional advancement, celebrating their achievements has another benefit. “We

have three boys. We wanted them to see how important higher education was to us so that it helps

motivate them in the future,” Luke said. He described the program as family friendly, which allowed the

couple to spend time with their sons Nolan, 13, Emmett, 7, and Henry, 3. Still there were challenges,

including, “Getting better grades than my wife,” Luke said, prompting Tiffany to add “which he did not

succeed at by the way.”

The good-natured competition aside, Tiffany said that time management was the biggest

challenge for both while balancing family, full-time careers and homework. In the end, 18 months of

hard work through a pandemic brought a family to Martin for the first time, including children and

grandparents, to see Luke and Tiffany Eccles walk across the commencement stage to receive well-earned

degrees. Graduation celebrations don’t get much better than that.

Chancellor Keith Carver was speaker for each commencement ceremony, basing his message to

graduates on a series of song lyrics from artists ranging from Drake to Post Malone, to the Eagles and

Kool and the Gang. The artists’ photos were displayed on the arena’s digital board as he transitioned from

one set of song lyrics to another. His commencement address can be viewed at

www.facebook.com/utmartin and www.youtube.com/utmartin where the ceremonies are archived. A

Spotify playlist featuring the songs is found at  https://spoti.fi/3yrqLW9.

Each ceremony also featured several speakers who appeared virtually on Skyhawk Arena’s digital

board. The Rev. Sam Chambers, campus minister for the UT Martin Wesley Foundation, offered the

invocation, and UT System President Randy Boyd and UT Martin Alumni Council President Mark

Joyner, of Paducah, provided comments to the graduating class. Student Government Association

President Sidney Church, of Santa Fe, a graduating senior, spoke in person to the class from the

commencement stage.

Boyd urged graduates to keep three goals in mind: “Honor the past, relish in the present, and look

to the future with great anticipation and hope.” He noted that University of Tennessee graduates across

the state will receive degrees during May. “What you all have in common is you’re leaving the university

better than it was when you arrived,” he said.

Church graduated during the third ceremony and shared at each event advice and wisdom that she

had gained from her father. She spoke of passion for his vocation, his strong work ethic and his wisdom

for recognizing that each day is an opportunity to start anew. “Bad days are inevitable. You’re going to

have them, but you’re going to have good days, too,” she said, recalling her father’s positive outlook.

“Even on your worse days, it’s important to remember that tomorrow will come, and it will be a new day

with new possibilities.”

Joyner closed by asking three things of the new graduates: “Be an advocate for UT Martin. …

Stay in touch. … Get involved.” Joyner added, “A university is only as good as its graduates, and from

this point forward, your accomplishments, achievements and the way in which you live will reflect upon

the educational values of the University of Tennessee at Martin.” Each ceremony ended with the UTM

Virtual Choir performing the Alma Mater, which was recorded and edited by 2010 UT Martin graduate

Joseph Sam.