Marine Corps Base Quantico --
On Nov. 18, Brig. Gen. Helen Pratt took the helm at
Education Command aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. With more than 20 years of
experience in the education community, Gen. Pratt brings a wealth of knowledge
and subject matter expertise to EDCOM and Marine Corps University.
Pratt served on active duty during Operations Desert
Storm and Desert Shield and has served in the Reserve since 1992, mobilizing
for Operations Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005 and Enduring Freedom in 2011.
Pratt was selected as commanding general of Force Headquarters Group, Marine
Corps Forces Reserve, in New Orleans, in July 2014 and said she “will be
dual-hatted” for the duration of her tenure at EDCOM, a not-uncommon position
for general officers and another example of total force integration.
Pratt is taking a temporary leave of absence from her
civilian job as a counselor at Glenridge Middle School in Orlando, Florida, to
fill the role of EDCOM CG. Though the students of EDCOM’s various schools are
significantly older than the middle school students she regularly works with,
she said, “no matter what age, education is one of the keys to effective leadership.”
Regarding the 35th Commandant’s Planning Guidance from
2010 to “develop Marine Corps University into a world-class institution,” Pratt
said, “I think MCU is already a world-class institution. We have a world-class
faculty, students and curriculum, and the construction of a world class facility is underway.” She also said that MCU is currently
undergoing national accreditation, offers three master’s programs and maintains
a historical division with a vast collection of artifacts from throughout the
Marine Corps’ history.
In looking to the future of MCU and the fiscally
constrained operating environment, Pratt said that increased distance education
is a distinct possibility. By having Marines take preliminary classes and
reading through materials online in advance of attending a resident course, it
will reduce the time they need to be onsite.
Another cost-saving measure Pratt is interested in
exploring is digital textbooks and course materials, saying that it is far less
expensive to update digital texts than to reprint entire books whenever
information changes. She also said, “How we use current platforms to deliver
instruction will be important. Managing IT capabilities to meet the needs of
our students and the Marine Corps will be critical.”
Regarding the demographics of the student population at
MCU, Pratt said, “Having international students at MCU opens the aperture to
our multinational partners and provides them with an understanding of how we
develop professional military leaders.” MCU has 60 International students from
37 countries, with the preponderance of them in Command and Staff and
Expeditionary Warfare School.
ebaker@quanticosentryonline.com