When the Class of 1999 entered the alumni world, it took with it an understanding of the Wittenberg Fund and alumni-related responsibilities thanks to Senior Circle.

Started in 1995, Senior Circle aims to educate future alumni about the importance of alumni participation from a financial perspective.

The program builds on the belief that the value of a Wittenberg degree is directly connected to the strength of the university’s fiscal resources. “We try to communicate this concept to our seniors,” said Lehan Peters, 1998-99 senior class adviser.

Seniors Sarah McKinley and Chris Bowers chaired this year’s Senior Circle, and the first Senior Circle event was a St. Patrick’s Day champagne dessert.

More than 150 seniors received a toast from President Baird Tipson and listened to guest speaker Andy Bowers, ’96, during the event. The seniors also had an opportunity to view the newly created campaign video.

“The response was tremendous,” Peters said, adding that the 1999 class’ participation rate was a record high of 48 percent. “This class was totally awesome,” she added.