As the Executive Vice President of University and Business Affairs and 10 years of experience, Mr. Marcus Jones, J.D. has a lot of plates to balance. He taught business law before he became vice president. Because he came from the classroom, he always enjoyed working with students.
One issue that he faced was when switching from the classroom to administration was not really having a lot of contact and working with students. He participated in an international student exchange when he was an undergrad. It’s something he’s always been interested in.
It’s given him an opportunity to work with international students and pair working with students with having international connections. He travels internationally, is fluent in Spanish, understands French and can speak a little Portuguese.
Being in an administrative position is important to him. When he looks back at his time at Northwestern, the number of African American faculty members weren’t that many. When he walked into a classroom and saw someone that looked like him, he always wanted to make them proud.
He hopes that his presence does the same thing for young African American students at NSU. He believes that he is still young and that being in a high-level administrative position encourages and inspires students to do more, not just for African American students, but for students of all ethnicities and backgrounds.
Being from the small town of Winnfield, Louisiana, he came from a poor household and is the second-youngest of 20 kids. His father worked at the mill and his mother stayed home to raise the children. Education is something they always instilled in them. He believes that education is what allows a person to get ahead and is something that can’t be taken away.
If someone went back and asked his 17-year-old self if he would be where he is today, his answer would be no. He had a small academic scholarship and graduated from NSU in 1988 with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance. He went to grad school and received his master’s in international business and trade, and that began his teaching career. He also went to law school in 1996 and finished in 1999.
He loves what he does, he enjoys working with the people he does and is fortunate that through his upbringing he was able to be where he is today. He knows the importance of working hard, and people will notice. The work ethic he learned from his parents and remembering where he came from helps keep him grounded.
He does all the international recruiting and even brings students with him to countries all over the world. He does this to expose students to what he never was exposed to.
He still considers himself an introvert, but he comes out of his shell. Being in the environment that he came from, no one traveled internationally. He was scared but adventurous, just as any young person should be.
He loves working with young adults. The advice he always gave his students is to participate in some type of international exchange. He believes it could be life changing because students are provided with a different mindset and exposed to a lot of diversity. He has molded his position in to what it is today.
He wants to be more involved and is trusted that he can move his department in the direction that he sees fit. His one goal is to continue to make the University and Business Affairs user-friendly and more helpful for people to enjoy.
As for his international standpoint, his goal is to double the number of students to go abroad. He wants students to have a desire to go abroad and have enough funding to help them.
Mr. Jones has defied so many odds and deserves to be where he is today. He has worked hard and understands the needs of students all over the world. He is a great man and an even better administrator. He has a lot to offer to students and to the university.
He is incredible all around, and being an African-American man is something he holds proud and dear. Marcus Jones, J.D. is a perfect example of black excellence.
