Friday, November 20th, 2009

Hawley, PA - At a community outreach event held in Hawley, Pennsylvania on Thursday, November 19th, Lackawanna College announced plans to open a Hawley Center in the Hawley Silk Mill Building by fall of 2010.

With initial plans to lease 7500 square feet, Lackawanna College plans to offer all 23 of its current degree programs at the new location. In addition to the existing programs, a number of new degrees are being considered including Hotel & Restaurant Management, Recreational Management, and even the possibility of a Sales Institute. The college expects to grow quickly occupying the entire 16,000 square feet available on the third floor. The name of the new center is still to be determined.

Hawley Silk Mill Partner John Shuman stated, “We are pleased to partner with Lackawanna College to bring education to the Borough of Hawley. We purchased the building with the intent of creating a project that would provide education, jobs, and economic growth to the region. We couldn’t stand by and allow this historic anchor building in our community to become a mini-warehouse. Lackawanna College shares our vision for the property and we are excited to work with them to create a new education center in this historic landmark.”

Borough Council President, Don Kyzer remarked, “On behalf of the Borough of Hawley, our community, and all residents, the council welcomes you to our community and we look forward to working with Lackawanna College to provide educational opportunities to our residents. We pledge our full support.”

Lackawanna College President, Ray Angeli stated, “We are coming to Hawley and will open the doors of our new Hawley Center by fall of 2010. We are excited by the many possibilities the new location will offer.”

Community support for Lackawanna College is very high with several local businesses pledging to work with the College to tailor programs to train employees in several industry sectors. Many businesses and residents pledged to help acquire equipment, develop programs, fundraise, and even lend their expertise and experience to teach at Lackawanna College.

For more information on Lackawanna College visit www.lackawanna.edu or contact Chris Kucharski at 570-961-7856. To learn more about the Hawley Silk Mill adaptive reuse project, visit www.hawleysilkmill.com or call Project Executive, Troy Bystrom at 646-236-3400.