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CORVALLIS - More than 3,700 Oregon State University students will receive diplomas at two separate commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 16, at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

Students receiving master's and doctoral degrees will go through commencement during the morning ceremony, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Undergraduate students will receive their diplomas from 2 to 4 p.m.

This is one of OSU's largest graduating classes, a result of spiraling enrollment numbers that have seen the university's student body grow from 13,777 in 1996 to more than 18,000 this year.

OSU President Paul Risser and other university officials will present the degrees, and Risser will address the undergraduates. Special awards will be presented to two individuals.

John A. Gardner, Jr., a professor of physics at OSU, will receive the university's Distinguished Service Award. Gardner, a nationally recognized physicist, lost his eyesight in mid-career due to glaucoma. He since has embarked upon a crusade to bring the world of science and mathematics to the blind, developing new technologies to allow visually impaired scientists to read charts, graphs and other formerly inaccessible materials.

An honorary doctorate will be presented to John S. Niederhauser, who has spent much of his professional life as a plant pathologist helping to feed the developing world while preserving the quality of the environment. He was awarded the 1990 World Food Prize in recognition of his work with national programs that have dramatically increased potato production in developing countries.

OSU students receiving diplomas from local regions include:

• Oregon graduates
• Graduates from other U.S. states
• International graduates