Johnson State College’s newly appointed director of admissions, Patrick Rogers, has recently received the Jerry E. Flanagan Service Award for 2015 from the Consortium of Vermont Colleges, a collaboration promoting the general wealth and diversity of higher education opportunities in the state of Vermont.

The award was presented to Rogers on Jan. 6 during one of the CVC’s meetings. Rogers said that he was very surprised when he received the award, which is one of the highest honors conferred by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. It is given to a CVC member who has shown leadership within the fields of college admissions and counseling in Vermont, and has shown great service towards the consortium.

Created in 2013, the award is dedicated to retired longtime vice president for enrollment at St. Michael’s College, Jerry Flanagan, one of the founders who helped create the CVC.

Rogers noted that the award means a lot to him, but he prefers to look at it as a team achievement. “I’d have to say the biggest thing is that I couldn’t do my job without the team I work with and all my colleagues at JSC and within the consortium,” said Rogers. “I’m thankful for everyone that I work with.”

As far as the award itself goes, Rogers says that he doesn’t believe that he goes above and beyond, but rather that he is just someone who believes in doing his job and focusing on the students. “I’m grateful for the award, but in the end there are a lot of great people out there that are quietly working that also deserve it,” said Rogers.

JSC’s Associate Dean of Enrollment Penny Howrigan says that Rogers is very deserving of the award. “The fact that he was recognized by peers throughout the state and the CVC is a tremendous honor,” says Howrigan. “Patrick is constantly trying to connect with students and promote JSC and the great opportunities that we have here.”

Rogers graduated from JSC in 2005, earning his B.A. in business with an A.A. in technical theater. He then became an admissions counselor in August of 2005. Following this, he became assistant director of admissions, then associate director. Rogers was senior associate director until this past December, when he was appointed to the newly created position of director of admissions.

Since he started working at JSC, Rogers has served as the campus advisor to the men’s and women’s Rugby Clubs for nearly 10 years, along with taking the new position of advising the JSC Hockey Club.

Rogers has been an active member of the CVC, including serving as its past president and chairing the group’s Professional Development Committee in 2010.

During the same year he also co-chaired the CVC bus tour taking visiting guidance counselors to campuses across Vermont.

For Rogers, the most enjoyable part of his job is being able to work with everyone as a team to create the best community for the students as possible — a community, he says, that makes him want to work at the college for as long as he can.

“Throughout my time here I’ve enjoyed and had many great experiences from being a student to my current work,” he said. “I’m proud to be a part of JSC because of its strong community and commitment to student success.”