Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Friday, July 13, 2007
It's Official...SACS Review Process Affirms Hialeah Campus
I am pleased to announce that Miami Dade College’s Hialeah Campus has reached a major milestone – approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) of its status as a full-fledged campus.
The thorough review conducted by SACS and its positive result come after many months of preparation and hard work. In order for a campus to gain status as such for SACS purposes, a proposal for Substantive Change, in this case to establish a campus, was submitted in October of 2005. A special SACS committee then reviewed the prospectus and another SACS team visited the campus during February of this year.
The team was duly impressed by the students, faculty, and staff, and the obvious dedication and care they exhibited. The Commission on Colleges met in June 2007 and voted to approve the Substantive Change proposal, thereby adding Hialeah to the list of our other campuses that have already undergone this process, and are listed on the SACS Web site.
The Hialeah Campus serves almost 10,000 students in what is one of Miami-Dade County’s most dynamic communities, Hialeah, Miami Lakes and the surrounding neighborhoods. What began as an outreach center in 1980 to help immigrants quickly become part of the American Dream, today is a bustling campus.
The Hialeah Campus story confirms our belief in the importance of delivering a high-quality, affordable education that develops students as both independent thinkers and devoted stewards of the community. The campus also reflects the steadfast dedication of our faculty and employees to provide quality educational opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups.
A true team effort to prepare the campus for this accomplishment was carried out both at the Hialeah Campus and throughout the district, as representatives from the campus, other campuses, and district personnel were involved. Special congratulations go to Dr. Cindy Miles, Hialeah Campus president, the Hialeah team, Dr. Norma Goonen, provost for academic and student affairs and her able team.
Once again, congratulations to all involved.
Thank you.
Eduardo