POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam will celebrate the college's 181st commencement ceremony as more than 1,100 students will walk the stage and Potsdam Town Supervisor Marie C. Regan will serve as the keynote speaker.

During commencement weekend, SUNY Potsdam will recognize the more than 1,100 students have who either completed their degree or were eligible to graduate between December 2014 and December 2015. Of those, about 800 students are scheduled to walk during the ceremonies.

The master's commencement ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. One hundred and twenty graduate students are expected to cross the stage and receive their hood at the ceremony.

The bachelor's commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 17 at 10:15 a.m. in the academic quad. Nearly 700 undergraduates are expected to turn their tassels and earn their bachelor's degrees at the ceremony.

Potsdam Town Supervisor Marie C. Regan, who is a SUNY distinguished service professor emerita and a celebrated educator and community leader, will serve as the keynote speaker for the SUNY Potsdam master’s graduation.

Regan has dedicated her life to education and civic engagement. A native of Massena, she attended the University at Albany, where she earned her bachelor's degree in American and British literature in 1957, with minors in speech and drama. She later went on to receive her master of arts degree in English from SUNY Potsdam in 1977. Regan also has a permanent secondary-level English certification and taught at Massena Central High School.

Regan was a member of the faculty at SUNY Canton for more than 25 years, where she was a professor of English and the humanities and taught numerous writing and literature courses. During her time at Canton, she served as the chair of the Department of English and Humanities, was a faculty senator and was a member of the SUNY Faculty Senate Executive Committee.

In 1997, Regan was elected to the Potsdam Town Council. Just a year later, she was appointed the deputy supervisor. In 2004, she was elected town supervisor, and has since been reelected twice to that position. She served as the chair of the bicentennial celebrations for the Town of Potsdam, which marked the 200th anniversary of its founding in 2006. As supervisor, Regan oversees legislation, staffing and finances for the municipality, including for the offices of the clerk and the Town Court. Under her leadership, the municipality completed construction of a new town hall in 2013, and renovated its previous downtown hall into a new facility that will serve both the Village and Town of Potsdam.

Along with her husband Robert, she has five children and 11 grandchildren

Stephanie Blythe '92, an internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano and opera star, will address the bachelor's graduates. The co-founder and artistic director of the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, which is in residence at The Crane School of Music, Blythe is also the honorary chair of SUNY Potsdam's Take the Lead Campaign for her alma mater. She is a previous recipient of an honorary doctor of music degree, which was presented to her in recognition of her many artistic achievements in 2006.

Allan P. Newell, a community philanthropist and founder of the Sweetgrass Foundation, will be honored with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the bachelor's ceremony.

The bachelor's graduation will be outside in the academic quad, rain or shine. School officials advise guests to dress appropriately for the weather conditions and bring umbrellas, blankets or sunscreen, if needed. There will be an option for guests who are uncomfortable with weather conditions to watch the ceremony live on a large screen inside, in the Barrington Student Union multi-purpose room.

There is an emergency weather plan for the bachelor's ceremony, in the case of extremely dangerous conditions, like lightning or freezing temperatures.Under the emergency plan, there would be two bachelor's ceremonies. At 10 a.m., one ceremony would be held for graduating visual arts, music, theatre and dance majors in Hosmer Hall at Crane. Immediately following, all other graduating students will attend a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. in the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium in Maxcy Hall. Each graduate has five tickets for the emergency plan. All other guests are welcome to view the ceremonies via live video in the Barrington MPR.

During the commencement celebrations, the school will also recognize the recipient of its most prestigious award. Donald L. Tompkins '68, a longtime trustee and volunteer for the school’s Alumni Association, will be honored with the 2015 Roger B. Linden Distinguished Service Award.

More info: www.potsdam.edu/commencement