Irvin Reid, newly installed president of Wayne State University, will preside for the first time over the university's commencement ceremonies as 3,450students receive degrees at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, in Detroit's Cobo Arena.

Reid, assisted by deans of the university's 15 schools and colleges, will confer 1,711 bachelor's; 1,573 master's; one advanced pharmacy; and 165doctoral degrees.

Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award will be osteopathic doctor and humanitarian Mark Diem of Bloomfield Hills.

Seniors David Edelman of West Bloomfield and Catherine Paruch of Royal Oak will receive David D. Henry Awards for exceptional scholastic achievement, leadership and service.

Dr. Diem, who graduated from WSU with a bachelor's degree in history before earning a master's degree from Loma Linda University and a medical degree from Des Moines College of Osteopathy, was co-founder in 1974 of First Care Medical Centers in the Detroit area. He later sold his share in the centers.

Working with his synagogue, Congregation Shaary Zedek in Southfield, Diem founded a program to prepare and deliver holiday meals to thousands of indigent and homebound persons in northwest Detroit. He has spent countless hours coordinating the program in cooperation with the Salvation Army.

In recognition of his volunteer efforts, United Way Community Services presented him with its Heart of Gold Award.

The semi-retired physician has traveled to Vietnam, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco and a Native American reservation in Arizona to help provide medical care to disadvantaged persons. A scholarship fund he established for senior history majors at WSU assists students in completing their college degree.

Henry Award recipient David Edelman will receive a bachelor's degree summacum laude in science with a major in honors biological sciences. He serves on the Student Council, the Student Services Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee and the Tuition and Fees Appeals Board.

A WSU Presidential Scholar, he is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. He is active in the Alpha Epsilon Phi fraternity, the Biological Society, the WSU concert band and the marching band, where he is drum major. He has done volunteer work at Henry Ford Hospital and the WSU School of Medicine, where he will continue his studies next fall.

Catherine Paruch, also receiving a Henry Award, will receive a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in business administration with a major in marketing. She is president of the WSU chapter of the American Marketing Association and vice president of the professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, which last year named her Regional Collegian of the Year.

A recipient of the WSU Outstanding Student Leadership Award, she served as vice president of the School of Business Administration's Student Senate and represented the school on the university's Student Council. She has served as a leader in WSU's supplemental instruction program, and also has served as a volunteer with Focus: HOPE and with the Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade.