SPRINGFIELD — Blankets were part of the attire worn by those attending Wittenberg University’s 166th Commencement exercises. But the wind and the occasional spitting rain did little to detract from the celebration of Wittenberg’s Class of 2016 on Saturday, May 14, in front of a cold, but enthusiastic, standing-room-only crowd in picturesque Commencement Hollow.

Rebecca Shreffler from Versailles, Ohio, was among the students earning degrees from Wittenberg University.

Interim University President Dick Helton led the commencement celebration, congratulating the 357 members of the Class of 2016 in his welcome remarks.

A total of 115 graduates earned Latin honors in recognition of their exceptional academic pursuits. Of those graduates, 52 of them were designated cum laude (3.5-3.69 grade point average), 24 graduated magna cum laude (3.7-3.79) and 39 graduated summa cum laude (3.8-4.0).

Those scheduled for recognition during the Commencement ceremony included 24 “non-traditional” students from the School of Community Education and international students from Canada, China, Japan and Vietnam. Graduates came from 24 states including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The most popular majors for the Class of 2016 were biology, communication, education and psychology.