Congratulations are in order to the 2011 graduating class

And graduation season begins this weekend, with the commencement ceremony of CSUMB and the graduation of 1,022 candidates.

This year, university officials are experimenting with a new kind of ceremony that includes no big-name commencement speaker. Instead, the graduates will get their sendoff from the winner of the President’s Award for Exemplary Student Achievement, Scott Bell, and President Dianne Harrison. About 8,000 people are expected to attend, university officials estimate.

New also is a program that will help students make sure they leave their dorms exactly as they found them. Today and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., personnel from the Monterey Bay Area Regional Recycling Program will be on campus to help students get rid of their waste. These experts will be able to help students decide whether to recycle, donate, or trash what they don't need anymore.