Admissions Director Patrick Rogers Recognized as Leader in College Admissions Field

JOHNSON, VT – Patrick Rogers, newly named director of admissions at Johnson State College, has received the Jerry E. Flanagan Service Award for 2015 from the Consortium of Vermont Colleges.

The annual award – the highest honor bestowed by the statewide organization of professional staff from 20 colleges and the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. – is given annually to a CVC member “who has shown exemplary leadership within the field of college admissions counseling in Vermont and has gone above and beyond in service for the Consortium.” It was established in 2013 in recognition of the retirement of the longtime vice president for enrollment at St. Michael’s College, who played an integral role in establishing the CVC.

In presenting the award at the group’s Jan. 6 meeting, CVC President Michael Stefanowicz, assistant director of admission at St. Michael’s College, noted that Rogers is admired as a “professional mentor and student-centered counselor who greets everyone with a smile and with infectious enthusiasm, and gives his time to anyone in need of it – a student with lots of questions at the end of a college fair, a parent who calls at the end of a work day, or a colleague who needs someone to talk to. It’s abundantly clear that he loves what he does, and he loves Johnson State College.”

Rogers started as an admissions counselor at JSC in August 2005 after earning his B.A. in business with an A.A. in technical theater there. He steadily moved up the ranks, first becoming assistant director, then associate director and, in 2012, senior associate director. This December, he was appointed to the newly created position of director.

In addition to being a steadfast ambassador for JSC throughout this time, Rogers has served as campus advisor to the men’s and women’s Rugby Clubs, which inspired the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees to pass a resolution naming the JSC rugby pitch in his honor in 2013. He also has been an active member and past-president of the CVC. He also chaired the group’s Professional Development Committee in 2010 and co-chaired the 2010 CVC bus tour that takes visiting guidance counselors to campuses throughout Vermont. And recently he took on yet another role at JSC: advisor to the college’s Hockey Club.

“Rogers embodies what it means to be a JSC Badger and truly exemplifies the traits of service, leadership, and mentorship within the CVC and the admission field that this award recognizes,” Stefanowicz said at the awards ceremony.

The mission of the Consortium of Vermont Colleges is to collaborate in promoting the wealth and diversity of higher education opportunities in the state and the appeal of the Vermont as an ideal place to attend college.

Photo, from left: Megan Gingras of Norwich University, CVC Professional Development chair; Jessica Murray of the University of Vermont, CVC secretary; Michael Stefanowicz of St. Michaels College, CVC president; Patrick Rogers; Tommy O’Connor of Johnson State College, CVC president-elect; Katrina Guaraldi, Joye Lyon and Penny Howrigan, all from Johnson State College; and Julia Caminiti of Champlain College, CVC Marketing chair