An estimated 6,874 students are candidates to receive their diplomas - approximately 5,917 bachelors and 946 masters in a total of 58 fields - in ceremonies that begin the evening of May 28 with the university's Honors Convocation.

"Commencement is a joyous time for the university and for the graduates, their spouses, parents and families - all of the people who supported them over the years and helped them succeed," said CSUN President Jolene Koester. "We are extremely proud of our graduates and equally proud of the distinguished alumni who are returning to their alma mater to participate in commencement. We see graduation as a community celebration, and all are welcome."

The graduation celebration begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29, with the Honors Convocation at the University Club on the southeast corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

This year's convocation speaker is Koester, who was inaugurated only last month as the university's fourth president in its 43-year history. A Fulbright Scholar, Koester is a communications expert who previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSU Sacramento.

The formal commencement ceremonies are as follows:

• Congressman Brad Sherman will speak at the College of Business Administration and Economics' ceremony at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 30, on the Oviatt Lawn in the center of the campus.

  Sherman, a former member of California's Board of Equalization, serves in the U.S. Congress as a representative of the 24th District, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County. He is a former C.P.A who went on to get a law degree from Harvard.

• Peggy Nelson, director of systems development and operations for TRW Systems Information Technology Group and a CSUN alum, will speak at the College of Engineering and Computer Science's ceremony at 4 p.m. on May 30 at the University Club.

• Community activist Irene Tovar will give the commencement address for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at 6:30 p.m. on May 30 on the Oviatt Lawn.

  Tovar, a CSUN alum, is executive director of the Latin American Civic Association, the largest HeadStart program in the San Fernando Valley.

• Eric Schultz, executive director of Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, will speak at the College of Health and Human Development ceremony at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 31, on the Oviatt Lawn.

  The foundation, founded by and named for his father, seeks to promote environmental conservation, a greater access and recreational opportunity for the disabled and socially responsible economic development.

• Michael Day, director of the Beckman Institute Crystallography Laboratory at CalTech, will give the commencement address for the College of Science and Mathematics at 4 p.m. on May 31 at the University Club.

  Day, a CSUN alum, nearly lost his life in an accident at age 18 that left him confined to a wheelchair with limited use of his hands. Despite his disability, Day has gone on to become one of the country's most respected experts in crystallography ‹ the use of crystals to determine molecular geometry.

• Michael Klausman, president of CBS Studio Center, will speak at the College of Arts, Media, and Communicationceremony at6:30 p.m. on May 31 on the Oviatt Lawn.

  Klausman, also a CSUN alum, is responsible for the marketing and operation of the center, located in Studio City, where such shows as "Just Shoot Me," "Will & Grace," "That '70s Show," "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Spin City" are made.

• The College of Humanities will not have a speaker for its commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 1, on the Oviatt Lawn.

• CSUN special education professor June Downing will be giving the commencement address to the College of Education at 4 p.m. on June 1 at the University Club.

  Downing is a national leader in the field of special education that targets the needs of students with severe disabilities, especially in regard to inclusive education.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full- and part-time students and offers 58 bachelor's and 50 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.