A proper sendoff for Lackawanna College President Emeritus Mark Volk

SCRANTON — Lackawanna College held a special fundraiser to honor the legacy of its beloved former president Mark Volk, who held this office from 2012 to 2020.

The event was called Bourbon & Bites and was held on Friday, Oct. 13, outside 409 on Adams, which is run by the students of the Kiesendahl School of Hospitality at Lackawanna College.

The students cooked the food and prepared the drinks. They also reached out to the college’s committee members and the advancement department to plan the event’s menu, bar, basket raffles and wine pull to raise money for the Lackawanna College Scholarship Fund. It will be divvied up with the students, student body, and the mission of the college.

The dining room ws also named in honor of Volk.

“We wanted to do something to honor him (Volk) because he did so much for us,” said Susan Markovich, hospitality education and enterprise manager. “He was so instrumental in making this building happen, so we couldn’t think of a better way to honor him.”

Being a humble man, Volk mentioned in his speech that he decided not to have his name on the dining room.

“This really isn’t about me,” he said. “It’s about all of the staff, faculty, administration and the students who make this place and the entire college run. I was blessed to work with some of the greatest professionals and I told people before, after 26 years in the Army, I would pit this team of professionals against any team that I served with in the military.”

Volk has served a total of 16 years at Lackawanna College. When he was president for the last eight years, the college was fastest growing two-year private college in the country.

“It’s really a testament to the people, program managers, and the programs that we run that attract students and fill the need for jobs in our region,” said Volk.

In 2010, two years before he was president, Volk helped start the cooking school program, which started in Hawley, where the cooking instructor allowed Lackawanna College to use the facilities for the cooking school. Later with much funding from the Kiesendahl family, Lackawanna College was able to purchase the two buildings on 409 Adams Ave. to create the Kiesendahl School of Hospitality.

“The first focus was to create a new dining facility for our students and a teaching kitchen, which is really run by our students,” said Volk. “Where they serve restaurant, fine-dining meals generally one to two nights a week during a semester as they learn their own programs, whether it’s culinary, or baking a pastry, or hospitality management.”

Also during his time as president, Volk started bachelor degree programs and a nursing program.

“I loved the mission of the college,” he said. ” I loved the impact that the college has in the local community and its students. We’re really a college that’s focused on students who might not have had an educational opportunity or might’ve struggled a bit as they went through school. This school has always been one that has given people a chance to achieve their dreams.”

During the ceremony, a few of Lackawanna College alumni, who were students during Volk’s time as president, shared a few words.

Alex Molfetas (Class of 2006), owner of Center City Print in Scranton, recalled meeting Volk nearly 20 years ago seeing him as a clean-cut gentleman and later finding out he was a decorated army colonel and a 9/11 Pentagon survivor. He shared that Volk’s accomplishments can be seen on social media including his crazy sock pictures.

“I discovered that while wearing his shirt, tie and crazy socks, this guy meant business,” Molfetas said in his speech. “He worked his way up becoming the eighth president of Lackawanna College and did an outstanding job leading this wonderful place to the next level. During my years at Lackawanna College and after I graduated, Mark was someone I could always reach out to, talk about ideas on a project, random history questions, and just overall life. We’ve kept in touch over the years, and I’ve enjoyed seeing him in a whole variety of events and even some visits to his house.”

Kyle Gilboy (Class of 2017), who was a graduate of the Kiesendahl School of Hospitality and executive chef at Voodoo Brewery Co. in Scranton, recalled Volk asking Gilboy if he liked the school and if he would change anything about it.

“You talked to me like a human being,” he told Volk. “You generally cared about my answers and how I felt here and what I was doing and what my goals were. I really think when you’re in a position like the one you had, toeing that line between a front guy and being a guy is very hard to do sometimes and I think that’s really hard to find sometimes, but sir, you had no problem finding that line. And I’ll never forget that.”