BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University alumnus Simon Blackwell, vice president of technology and digital gaming at Wizards of the Coast, will speak at the school's fall commencement Saturday, Dec. 15.

The commencement ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. in Carver Gym.

Blackwell graduated from WWU in 1984 with a degree in philosophy, and was named in 2010 a Distinguished Alumnus from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, is the home of such role-playing games as Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.

The student commencement speaker is graduating senior Brandi Widenmeyer, an environmental conservation major from Bellingham.

About 615 undergraduates and 45 master's candidates will receive their degrees fall quarter.

Tickets are required to attend the ceremony, but it will be televised live in the Science, Math and Technology Education building, and will be streamed live at this ustream.tv channel.

Commencement parking will be free in most lots on campus.

Reach ZOE FRALEY at zoe.fraley@bellinghamherald.com or call 756-2803. Visit her School Days blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/schools or get updates on Twitter at twitter.com/BhamSchools.