MTSU graduate students are all smiles as they listen to the cheering crowd before the university’s spring 2018 graduate school commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. MTSU presented 435 doctoral, master’s and education specialist degrees Friday, May 4, and another 2,206 degrees Saturday, May 5, in two undergraduate ceremonies. (MTSU photo by GradImages.com)

An MTSU student holds her new advanced degree aloft Friday, May 4, as the university’s spring 2018 graduate school commencement ceremony in Murphy Center winds down. MTSU presented 435 doctoral, master’s and education specialist degrees Friday and 2,206 degrees Saturday, May 5, in two undergraduate ceremonies to mark a total of 2,641 diplomas presented in one semester — a record in the university’s 107-year history. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

MTSU anthropology professor and Career Achievement Award winner Kevin Smith makes a point during his address Friday, May 4, to doctoral, master’s and education specialist degree recipients and their supporters during the university’s spring 2018 graduate school commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. MTSU presented a record 2,641 degrees — 435 graduate and 2,206 undergraduate — during the two-day event. (MTSU photo by GradImages.com)

MTSU history professor Louis Woods, director of the university’s Africana Studies Program, carefully prepares to place Torren Leon Gatson’s doctoral hood over Gatson’s commencement robes Friday, May 4, during MTSU’s spring 2018 graduate school commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. Gatson, who earned his undergraduate degrees at North Carolina Central University, wrote his dissertation on “The Combative Tactics of the NAACP Against Unfair Housing Laws and Practices: A Comparative Study of the Dynamic Changes in Urban and Rural Landscapes 1920–1960.” (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

MTSU student Kyle Gyenes gives a happy thumbs-up Saturday, May 5, as he prepares to receive his bachelor’s degree in recording industry at the university’s spring 2018 undergraduate commencement morning ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)

Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, pauses during his address Saturday, May 5, to students and their supporters at the university’s spring 2018 undergraduate commencement afternoon ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Supporters of new MTSU graduate Jameel A. Lane, who received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree Saturday, May 5, from the university’s Jones College of Business, join the Murphy Center crowd in capturing an important moment at MTSU’s spring 2018 morning commencement ceremony. (MTSU photo by GradImages.com)

MTSU undergraduate students listen carefully to instructions Saturday, May 5, at the university’s spring 2018 morning commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. MTSU presented a record 2,641 degrees during the two-day event. (MTSU photo by GradImages.com)

A new MTSU graduate holds her hard-won bachelor’s degree close Saturday, May 5, as she walks in the university’s spring 2018 undergraduate commencement afternoon ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

New MTSU graduate Rebecca Reuter happily shows off her new bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and waves to friends and family Saturday, May 5, at the university’s spring 2018 undergraduate commencement afternoon ceremony in Murphy Center. Reuter, a member of the MTSU women’s basketball team, was among the record 2,641 students — 435 graduate and 2,206 undergraduate — receiving their degrees during the two-day event. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

MTSU alumnus and Board of Trustees Chairman Stephen B. “Steve” Smith makes a point during his address Saturday, May 5, to students and their supporters at the university’s spring 2018 undergraduate commencement morning ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Eric Sutton)