Raymond Angeli, President of Lackawanna College, has announced the creation of the Lackawanna College Environmental Institute. The facility will be headquartered at a 217-acre site that the college owns in Covington Township.

The Environmental Institute will function as a research and teaching resource for the college and provide support and consulting services to government agencies, municipalities, environmental organizations, and corporate, industrial and commercial entities. Lackawanna College will invest over $1.1 million in establishing the center.

Mr. Angeli has also announced the appointment of Joyce A. Hatala as Director of the Institute.

In her new position, Ms. Hatala will administer the activities of the Environmental Institute, including overseeing its start-up, supervising its day-to-day operations, seeking funding support through grants, initiatives and private donations; providing environmental consulting, and organizing community educational information/outreach and training initiatives.

"This is an exciting project for Lackawanna College," said Mr. Angeli. "The Environmental Institute will be multi-faceted: it will provide class work, foster research, offer interpretive visits to the center and sponsor lectures for the community at large."

"Given such an intricate and encompassing project, we are fortunate to have found such an experienced and qualified candidate in Joyce Hatala to lead the way."

For the past 15 years, Ms. Hatala was Coordinator of Recycling/Solid Waste for Lackawanna County, developing and implementing a countywide program that served 40 communities and 215,000 residents and businesses. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant for the Minnesota Waste Management Board.

Ms. Hatala serves on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Recycling Advisory Committee and is a board member and past president of the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania. She has been a speaker at numerous state and national recycling conferences and holds Senior Recycling Professional Certification through Pennsylvania State University.

She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame in Anthropology and History, and earned her Master's from the University of Minnesota in Anthropology, with a specialization in Ecology.

Ms. Hatala is a member of many local and national conservation organizations. She is vice president of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association and recently received its Board of Directors' Award for service to the organization. She has served as trustee for Scranton Preparatory School and is a past recipient of its Rinfret Alumni Award. She is also past president of the local chapter of the Notre Dame Alumni Association and currently serves as its community service coordinator.

The Environmental Institute will provide scientific research, classroom instruction for high school students, and a working environment for college students studying biology, ecology, forestry, animal habitat and other related disciplines. The Institute hopes to serve as a national model for research and the positive action strategies that can be developed from the research.

Operating on the border of Northeastern Pennsylvania's Pocono region will allow for the critical evaluation of environmental pressures evolving from high growth areas. The Institute is located on the highest point of water outflow in the region, making it useful for base measurements for both the Delaware and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The location permits study of water-borne bacteria and other contaminants through comparison between the Institute's pristine site and related water resources in adjacent urban areas.

Because of budget shortfalls and the increased cost of services, local governments often must contract for expertise in environmental planning and in the instruction for grant writing and report requirements. The Environmental Institute will offer these services to municipal governments.

According to Mr. Angeli,  "Through education and research, students of all ages will be taught to make connections between their studies and field work and the health related outcomes that result from these actions. Lackawanna College hopes to foster the idea that environmentally responsible decisions can improve everyone's quality of life."

"In an era of increasing globalization and resource pressure, a sound environmental ethic makes good economic and business sense," he added.