Mayor Larry Waters to Deliver Walters State Commencement Address

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters has served in that position for 48 years..

Time to Celebrate the Spring Class of 2026!

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters will be the commencement speaker at the 70th commencement ceremony at Walters State Community College. Commencement for health and science graduates is set for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, with the general commencement following at 7:30 p.m. A nursing pinning will be held at 3 p.m. All ceremonies will be at the Walters State Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center in White Pine.

Waters is the longest-serving mayor in Tennessee history. He was first elected to the office in 1978 at the age of 25. He announced his retirement earlier this year, after 48 years of service. Waters has guided Sevier County through a period of incredible growth. The county has tripled in population and has become one of the major tourist destinations in the Southeast. Waters has also been a stable and steadying presence through challenging times, including the 2016 wildfires.

Degrees and certificates will be awarded to 735 graduates. The associate of applied science degree will be awarded to 199 students. Students earning these degrees plan to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. The most popular majors in these degrees this semester are nursing, business, engineering technology and physical therapy assistant. Technical certificates will be awarded to 47 students, with the most popular being health information management, emergency medical technician and pharmacy technician. 

The associate of science degree will be awarded to 403 students. This degree is chosen by students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions. The most popular major for this degree is general studies, which provides a foundation for most four-year degrees. Other popular majors are business, health sciences, accounting and psychology. The associate of science in teaching degree will be awarded to 21 students, the associate of arts to 23, and the associate of fine arts to five. Academic certificates in Spanish will be awarded to three students.

Both commencement ceremonies will be streamed live at ws.edu and can be viewed later on the college’s YouTube channel.