PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh State's spring commencement will pay tribute to the more than 1,000 students due to graduate from the college.

Two ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday at the Plattsburgh State Field House gymnasium.

The first one will take place at 10 a.m. and honor students graduating with degrees in education, health and human services and the School of Business and Economics.

The second ceremony will take place at 2 p.m., honoring students who earned degrees in the arts and sciences.

STUDENT SPEAKER

The student speaker will be Carrie Jean Douglas of AuSable Forks, who is graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English language arts and a minor in women's studies. Douglas will speak about how graduates can make a difference in the world.

Awarding the diplomas will be College Council Chairman Donald Garrant, Vice Chairman Roger Burke and council members Arnold Amell and M. Catherine Hollinshead.

The ceremonies will also include awards to be presented to Dr. Robert Golden and Douglas Sloan.

PROVOST HONORED

Golden, the college's provost and vice president of academic affairs, will receive the 2008 Distinguished Service Award. This award is designed to honor a person who played a key role in advancing Plattsburgh State.

The College Council's resolution cites Golden's "quiet, steady leadership" for helping to restore the college's vitality and increased enrollments.

It also cites him for encouraging the revitalization of curriculum, the development of new programs, the establishment of agreements with foreign universities and the transformation of the college's extension site at Adirondack Community College into a branch campus.

"Bob Golden's unassuming, approachable manner, his willingness to involve others in the planning process and his genuine foresight have helped the college to become what it is today -- a thriving institution with unique, cutting-edge programs," Garrant said in a news release.

After commencement, Golden will be retiring from the position of provost but will continue to work for Plattsburgh State, teaching English at the branch campus at Adirondack Community College.

ALUMNI AWARD