Nearly 1,800 students will receive degrees and certificates at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa commencement ceremony Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center on campus.

Mary Bitterman, president of the Bernard Osher Foundation, will address graduates at the 9 a.m. ceremony.

The San Francisco-based Osher Foundation's programs support higher education and the arts, especially a growing network of lifelong learning institutes for older adults at more than 120 colleges and universities nationwide, including UH-Manoa.

Before joining the foundation, Bitterman was president and CEO of KQED, a public broadcasting center.

She has also served as executive director of the Hawai'i Public Broadcasting Authority, director of the Voice of America, director of the Hawai'i state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and director of the East-West Center's Institute of Culture and Communication.

The event is free, with no tickets issued, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Free parking will be available in the lower campus parking structure, which will open at 6 a.m.

There also will be a live webcast of the ceremony.

For information on the commencement ceremony and webcast, go to http://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement.