Penny Howrigan Receives Equal Opportunity Award
Penny Howrigan Receives Equal Opportunity Award
Associate Dean of Enrollment has received the Carolyn Donahue Friend of Equal Opportunity Education Award, given by the Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs (VEOP) organization.
October 27, 2017
Northern Vermont University-Johnson Associate Dean of Enrollment Penny Howrigan has received the Carolyn Donahue Friend of Equal Opportunity Education Award, given by the Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs (VEOP) organization.
Howrigan received the award, named for an admissions representative at the University of Vermont, at VEOP’s annual conference this month at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.
VEOP is involved with federally-funded programs that help provide access to college for first-generation and low-income students and people with disabilities. NVU-Johnson participates in several such programs, including TRiO. About 65 percent of NVU-Johnson students are in those categories.
In a letter to nominate Howrigan for the award, Marti Kingsley with the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. noted Howrigan “has been a steadfast advocate and inspirational support to countless TRiO students for over 20 years. Penny has gone above and beyond to accommodate the needs of our TRiO students, from hosting students (at NVU-Johnson) … to providing information specific to first-generation students, to helping a homeless student of mine enroll a week before the semester began.”
“Working with students from all backgrounds is a pleasure and a privilege, and I learn from them every day,” says Howrigan, a Johnson employee since 1989. “It takes a strong team to help students navigate the college admissions and financial aid processes. I’m so fortunate to work with wonderful staff and faculty at Johnson who are dedicated to student success.”
On July 1, 2018, Johnson State College and Lyndon State College will become Northern Vermont University, a two-campus institution of higher education that combines the best of both colleges’ nationally recognized liberal arts and professional programs under a single administration. Driven by a mission to provide a high-quality, accessible, inclusive education for students in the state, the region, the nation and online, NVU will begin recruiting in fall 2017 for its first class starting in fall 2018. Learn more at NorthernVermont.edu.