LC in the News - 2012

Mark Volk Selected 8th President of Lackawanna College
January 27, 2012

SCRANTON –Mark Volk has been selected as the 8th President of Lackawanna College by the Board of Trustees.  He is currently the Executive Vice President at Lackawanna College and will take office July 1, 2012.  He succeeds Raymond S. Angeli, who previously announced he was stepping down after 17 years as President of the College.  President Angeli is not only one of the longest serving college presidents in Pennsylvania, but the entire United States.

Board of Trustees Chairman Dominick DeNaples announced the appointment today in the Theater at a meeting of faculty and staff.

“We needed an individual who is going to educate and lead to continue the forward progress that the College has had over the past decade, and we have found that person,” said Chairman DeNaples.  “Mark Volk has been a significant contributor to the growth of Lackawanna and is the right choice to take the College to even greater heights.  The future is in very good hands.”

The four-month search was guided by RPA Inc., an educational recruitment firm located in Williamsport.  Over 50 candidates were identified by RPA and presented to the Presidential Search Committee, which was chaired by Trustee Dr. Jack Truschel and was comprised of other Trustees, Administrators and Faculty.

"The committee was very efficient and thorough with the search process,” said Dr. Truschel.  “We made certain we had every piece of information available on all the candidates and were able to narrow down the field.  We had several very viable candidates, but in the end after the interview process, we felt it was clear who would best serve Lackawanna College’s needs as the next president.”

Incoming President Mark Volk

Mr. Volk, who is originally from Easton PA, began his tenure in 2004 at Lackawanna College as Executive Assistant to the President. During that time, he assisted the current President in the structural reorganization of college. Under the revised structure, Mr. Volk was promoted to Vice President for Planning and Operations where he oversaw all college planning and the implementation of its $2.5 mil Title III infrastructure grant. In April of 2007, he was promoted to his current position where he oversees the daily operations of the college, as well as its planning processes. Mr. Volk also held the position of Acting President of Lackawanna College from July – November 2010.

“The selection of Mark Volk brings a new era to this College and with it, the knowledge that first and foremost Lackawanna will be well led,” said outgoing President Angeli. “Mark has the proven skills that are so necessary in this highly competitive and challenging academic environment. He understands the culture of Lackawanna College and its students.  I know he will continue the long tradition in providing access to and opportunities in higher education.”

Active in the local community, Mr. Volk is the Treasurer of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, having been appointed to the Chamber’s Executive Committee after serving as a Board member for six years. He also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Northeast Pennsylvania Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is the Past Chair of the Leadership Lackawanna program. In 2011, Mr. Volk was recognized as Leadership Lackawanna’s Outstanding Alumni Leader of the Year and was recognized as a Child Advocate in 2008 for his work with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeast PA. In 2009, he was appointed as a Commissioner on the PA State Ethics Commission where he continues to serve.

Mr. Volk earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Scranton in 1977, a Master’s of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College in 1999, and holds a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Scranton. A doctoral candidate at Marywood University, he is in the dissertation phase of its program in Human Development with a specialization in Higher Education Administration.

A retired Army Colonel, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Field Artillery in 1977. During his 26 year Army career, he served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and overseas. He also trained as a Middle East/North Africa Foreign Area Officer (FAO) regional specialist studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute. Mr. Volk is also a graduate of the Department of State Foreign Service Institute, Tunisia where he continued his Arabic studies and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

His most recent assignments included service as the Senior Intelligence Officer for the 3rd Infantry Division and then for two years as Commander, 103rd/101st Military Intelligence Battalion. He deployed the 101st MI to Bosnia in September 1996 where it was the intelligence support force for Task Force Eagle in Multi-National District – North. During the last 5 years of his Army career, he was assigned to the Army Staff, Pentagon, and managed two Army specialties, the FAO Program as well as the Army Strategic Plans and Policy specialist program. Additionally, he was responsible for the integration of Joint Professional Military Education Learning Objectives across the Army’s schools. Present in the Pentagon on 9/11/2001, Mr. Volk was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest non-combat award for heroism for his lifesaving efforts after the 9/11 attack.

Mark and his wife, the former Lynn Favini of Scranton, reside in Benton Township, PA. They have one son, Mark Jr., who resides in Lorton, VA and are the proud grandparents of his son, Alexander.