Christine Harms, a top University of Nevada, Reno engineering student who is set to begin a master's degree in structural and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley, will be among the 1,793 students participating in the University's commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, May 19 and 20.

"My immediate plan is to go to graduate school," said Harms. "My biggest accomplishment was being selected as an academic all-American for the Nevada volleyball team because it acknowledges the two major aspects of my college career: academics and athletics."

Friday's advanced degree ceremony will feature the presentation of honorary doctorates and Distinguished Nevadan honors. Receiving honorary degrees will be: Debbie Reynolds, the award-winning actress who appeared in nearly 60 films, and Cole Campbell, the dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism who was killed in an auto accident earlier this year. Nazir and Mary Ansari and Frank Curry Stokes will be awarded Distinguished Nevadan honors for their contributions to the state.

Saturday's undergraduate ceremony will be highlighted by an address from U.S. Senator and Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. The Herz Gold Medal, the University's highest academic honor, will also be presented Saturday to the top undergraduate of the 2007 class.