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
Monday, January 04, 2010
Welcome to a new year with new opportunities
Happy New Year and welcome back to Miami Dade College. I hope you enjoyed your holiday recess and are rejuvenated and ready for the exciting time ahead of us.
We have our own giant shoes to fill, considering the remarkable successes we achieved in 2009. Our accomplishments are too numerous to outline in this message, but some of the achievements we can be most proud of are:
Institutional Excellence
- The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching selected Miami Dade College for its 2008 Community Engagement Classification. MDC was recognized for its extensive community-involvement initiatives — particularly for helping first-generation and disadvantaged students attend college and for its well-known service-learning program.
- MDC was named one of The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2009 "Great Colleges to Work For."
- MDC was named one of the nation's top 25 "Best Neighbor" colleges and universities in the “Saviors of Our Cities: Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships” project. The College was the only Florida institution and only community college in the nation to make the list.
- The Learning Outcomes project continued to mature, connecting collegewide assessment results with curriculum maps to continue strengthening student performance and to begin identifying applications to service-learning.
Faculty and Staff
- Six MDC professors received the College's most significant faculty recognition, the Endowed Teaching Chair.
- North Campus Professor Dr. Sandra Schultz was named the 2009 Florida Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Students
- Miami Dade College graduated more than 9,000 students at six commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 2, including the first 40 students to earn a bachelor’s in nursing from MDC.
- More than 340 students from all eight MDC campuses were honored during the U.S. President's Volunteer Service Awards Ceremony for completing a minimum of 100 service hours in a 12-month period.
Distinguished Guests
- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Dr. Jill Biden held a panel discussion with nearly 200 enthusiastic students at Miami Dade College to exchange ideas on improving student access and achievement at colleges and universities and the importance of community colleges in job creation.
- U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis spoke at the College's 2009 commencement ceremony.
- First Lady Michelle Obama served as the keynote speaker during Florida Campus Compact's annual Awards Gala and Luncheon at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College.
Building on all of these successes, we also have many great things to look forward to this year. Let’s mark today as day one of MDC’s 50th-year celebration. We have been part of a rich journey and one that only promises to grow in the year ahead.
In the coming days, you will receive a survey in your e-mail inbox that will allow you to participate in revising and shaping MDC's mission, vision and values statement and 2010-2015 strategic plan. You play a key role in positioning MDC for a new era of growth and success. This is a challenging yet exciting time, one that requires a clear vision and a down-to-earth plan for action. I look forward to your participation in making both a reality in 2010.
Thank you.
Eduardo