Nearly 1,000 undergraduate students will walk across the stage Saturday morning on Georgia College & State University’s front campus when Class of 2008 students receives degrees.

Saturday’s commencement begins at 9 a.m. on the university’s front campus.

Graduate students are hooded in their graduation ceremony Friday night on front campus at 7 p.m. As many as 444 graduate students will be hooded.

Friday’s graduating cadre of graduate students will be the first who’ve had the opportunity to study at GCSU Macon Center in the Jefferson Building on Cherry Street.

Undergraduate and graduate students alike came to Georgia College from as many as 19 states and 12 countries.

Alex Gregory, chair of the GCSU Foundation and president and chief executive officer of YKK Corporation, will speak at Friday’s graduate commencement.

Undergraduate Eric Chambers, a Phi Kappa Phi representative, will speak at Saturday’s commencement. Chambers will attend law school to study to become a family child advocate attorney. The psychology major will walk across the stage Saturday with a 4.0 grade point average.

Lindsey Hornsby, GCSU Class of 2006 and future graduate Class of 2009, said she enjoyed commencement on the university’s front lawn.

“It was really nice, and having it out on front campus is great. It was beautiful,” Hornsby said.

Hornsby graduated from GCSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, and plans to graduate in December with a Master of Arts degree in public administration.

She’ll have to wait until next May in order to participate in graduation ceremonies, but it will be worth it too her, she said.

“I’ll wait because I want to get hooded,” she said.

Hornsby’s friends graduate Friday, and like them she’s ready to get out of school and into the real world.

“I’m very ready to get out of school. It’s a great experience being in school, but it’s really exciting when you get to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Hornsby said.

Call the registrar’s office, (478) 445-6286, to learn more about GCSU’s weekend commencement ceremonies.