BURLINGTON, Vt. - Champlain College has named Patrick S. Robins as the recipient of its 2008 Distinguished Citizen Award. The announcement was made during the College's 130th annual Convocation as the Class of 2012 was welcomed by Champlain College President David Finney.
The Champlain College award is given annually to a person who displays exceptional personal and professional achievement, a strong record of community service, and dynamic leadership based on equal parts intelligence and wit, creativity and humility.

Robins, who lives in Burlington with his wife, Lisa Schamberg, is the chairman and founder of the SymQuest Group. They have four children and four grandchildren.
Robins was honored for his many community roles in education, government, business, civic, arts and public health organizations. "Patrick is an entrepreneur and civil servant of uncommon vision and discipline. He has founded and chaired three regional businesses whose genius was to recognize emerging needs and to fill them with quality products and exceptional customer service," Finney noted.

"Potential and possibilities are two words that are of particular significance to the recipient of Champlain's 2008 Distinguished Citizen Award. Pat Robins has spent his professional and personal life making the most of the opportunities available to him, while never losing sight of the community that has been central to his success," Finney said.

Robins' professional accomplishments include:
• Chairman and founder of the SymQuest Group in South Burlington, a regional technology services company.
• President, chairman and CEO of McAuliffe., a Burlington-based, regional office products distributor.
• Chairman and founder of Northstar Leasing Company of Burlington.

His many civic affiliations include, chairman of the University Health Center; trustee of the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, chairman of the Vermont Hospital Data Council, chair and founder of the Vermont Employers' Health Alliance, and member of the Board Governance and Nominating Committee, Fletcher Allen Healthcare.

Robins served as a trustee of several educational institutions, including Champlain College from 1974-1977, and St. Michael's College from 1992-95 and 1998-99. He also serves on community boards from the Church Street Marketplace Commission and Burlington City Arts to the Visiting Nurse Association, the United Way of Chittenden County, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Land Trust.

"I could continue with Pat's professional accomplishments and civic involvements, but they are not why he is being recognized as our Distinguished Citizen. Comments from friends and colleagues take the real measure of a person and his value to the community in which he raises his family and sends his children to school," Finney explained.

"Pat Robins' life is about commitment. After securing a B.A. in English Literature from Saint Michael's College in 1961 and an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College in 1964, he dug in and worked hard. Sweat equity begat opportunities and soon Pat became president, chairman and CEO of McAuliffe."

"Pat didn't wait until he'd established himself professionally before he began giving back to his community. He assumed numerous volunteer roles as he built his career. Working to ensure the vitality of Burlington as Vermont's hub of business and commerce and cultivating the region as the state's academic center have been guiding principles in his life," Finney said.
Larry Sudbay, chair of Symquest, has known Robins for nearly 25 years; the two have been business partners for most of that time. Sudbay summed up his friend's qualities by what he called the "Three Vs" - values, vitality and vision.

"Pat is a tremendous individual with deeply held values," Sudbay said. "In the ‘law of attraction' he draws people who have passion and opinions for improvement. Pat is all about listening and understanding people's needs. He inspires others through questions and conversation to guide them toward the art of the possible." Pat gives his "tremendous vitality and energy to a number of organizations. He is youthful in spirit and always seems to be up with people," Sudbay added. "He has the vision to see what other people don't. With his wisdom and intellect, Pat spots trends and stays ahead of the curve."

Champlain College, a private baccalaureate institution, was founded in 1878. Champlain has 2,000 undergraduate students and is ranked 12th in the top tier of Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North by 2009 America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report.