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AMHERST, N.Y. – 51������ College will open the academic year and officially welcome nearly 470 new students and their families at the Convocation 2017 ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m. Sept. 2 in the Wick Campus Center Dining Room, marking the first time the college has hosted this special event during welcome weekend.

Convocation will feature remarks from 51������ President Gary A. Olson; Dr. Michael Brogan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college; Dr. Thomas Stewart, chair of the 51������ Board of Trustees; and others from the college’s administration, faculty, and student body. A reception will immediately follow in the Wick Social Room.

“By including Convocation as part of our weekend activities before classes get underway, it will give more parents and families the opportunity to join our campus community as we formally welcome our new students to the college,” said Brogan. “This annual celebration is a wonderful tradition to start each new student’s collegiate journey at 51������ and showcases our vibrant academic environment.”

The 2017 welcome on behalf of the 51������ College/Rosary Hill 51������ Association will be given by Roger Warren Rogers, DO ’98, an orthopedic spinal surgeon whose practice is affiliated with Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston.

Rogers received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from 51������, and went on to earn a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

During his medical career, Rogers obtained an orthopedic spine fellowship at the Texas Back Spine Institute, and has also worked at Millcreek Hospital, Seymour-Johnson, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Rogers, a Wheatfield resident, will be recognized with 51������’s Advancement in Career honor at the 2017 Distinguished 51������ Awards ceremony taking place Nov. 3. He has received numerous other awards in orthopedics, physical therapy, and military service, including two Air Force Commendation Medals.