POTSDAM – A man who with his wife has donated more than $7.5 million to SUNY Potsdam will be keynote speaker at this year’s commencement ceremony Saturday, May 18.

Donald Lougheed (Hon. '54) will speak to students, parents, faculty, alumni and administration for this year's graduation ceremony.

The benefactor and honorary alumnus will share his reflections on life, and the lessons he has learned through his long business career and his philanthropic endeavors, with the SUNY Potsdam Class of 2019.

Along with his wife, Kathryn Kofoed Lougheed '54, Don pledged a gift commitment of $5.25 million to support applied learning initiatives at SUNY Potsdam last year. The Lougheed Learning Commons is named in their honor, as is the Donald and Kathryn Lougheed Center for Applied Learning. Prior to their applied learning gift, they have donated a total of $2.3 million in support of scholarships and the LoKo Arts Festival, which they established in 2012.

Kathy and Don divide their time between their summer home in Northville, N.Y., and their winter home in Austin, Texas.

Since establishing the LoKo Arts Festival in 2012, they have gone on to become the largest individual donors in SUNY Potsdam history, having committed a total of more than $7.5 million to the College. In recognition of his dedication, Don was named an honorary member of his wife's Class of 1954 during Reunion Weekend 2013, and the couple was presented with the Distinguished Service Award from the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association in 2016.

SUNY Potsdam's 2019 Commencement Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 18 at 10:15 a.m. in the Academic Quad. Hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students will cross the stage in the shadow of the Satterlee Hall clocktower to earn their bachelor's and master's degrees.

To learn more about Commencement at SUNY Potsdam, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/commencement.