Marcquis is the assistant director of career and employer engagement at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University. He is also a member of the Toward a Rpepresentative Educator Workforce (TREW) committee.
Describe your role/involvement with the Ohio Deans Compact.
My involvement with the Ohio Deans Compact consists of connecting, engaging, supporting, and empowering fellow professionals across the state in the field of education. As a member of the incentive grant committee team, we have provided financial assistance to support institutions to create stronger program models and become more confident within the sustainability of their work. As a member of the TREW Committee, I have been able to reclaim the feeling of connectedness with the work I am committed to around educational workforce development. The Ohio Deans compact has allowed me to develop a sense of community and belonging within the field of education across institutional lines, which I feel is beneficial to my overall professional well-being.
How does your involvement with the Compact benefit you and/or your organization?
My involvement with the Ohio Deans Compact not only benefits the institution I represent, but it has also yielded tremendous perks upon my personal welfare. Being involved has allowed me to represent the university at national conferences, numerous speaking engagements, and become involved with research opportunities. I have been involved with a community of practice that meets at least quarterly to discuss policy, best practices, success/challenges, and alterations with state/federal law. This allows for me to share pertinent, timely information back with stakeholders at my institution that is relevant to educational practice. The Compact serves as a beacon of information and connection for me and the institution I represent.
Why is the work of the Compact important?
The Compact’s work is important for a variety of factors, one of which is its collaborative nature. The Compact pursues intentional membership from a diverse field of representation among Ohio’s education workforce. The Compact not only supports those in which it finds representation from, but also provides specific documentation that is meaningful to our work in the field. Program models (and the people facilitating them) become connected, then documented for future improvement. The Ohio Deans Compact allows for sharing, highlighting, and replicating best practices among stakeholders across the state.
What excites you most about working with the Compact and its members?
Working with collaborative education professionals who are fully capable of understanding, analyzing, evaluating, applying, and creating successful models for our educational landscape is incredibly exciting for me. I prioritize my time with the Compact because the strategies I have learned have become the key outlines for some of my program models on campus, and people have become a part of my professional ecosystem. My involvement has only enhanced my network, sense of belonging, and opportunities for collaboration.