Eduardo J. Padrón
| Dr. Eduardo Padrón | |
|---|---|
| Miami Dade College | |
| Term | 1995 – |
| Born | June 26, 1944 Santiago, Cuba |
| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Profession | Educator |
Eduardo José Padrón (born June 26, 1944)[1] is the current President of Miami Dade College.
An American by choice, Eduardo Padrón arrived in the United States as a refugee at the age of 15. Since 1995, he has served as President of Miami Dade College (MDC), the largest institution of higher education in Florida. An economist by training, Dr. Padrón earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida.[2]
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[edit] International Leader
Miami Dade College President Padrón is widely recognized as one of the top educational leaders in the world and he is often invited to participate in educational policy forums in the United States and abroad. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him as one of America’s foremost educators. President George W. Bush nominated him to the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. During his career, he has been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by four American presidents.
Internationally, Dr. Padrón’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous nations and organizations including, among others, the Republic of France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; the Republic of Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin; and Spain’s King Juan Carlos II, who bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella.
[edit] College Transformation
Padrón’s pace-setting work at Miami Dade College has been hailed as a model of innovation in higher education. He is credited with engineering a culture of success that has produced impressive results in student access, retention, graduation, and overall achievement. MDC enrolls and graduates more minorities, including Hispanics and African-Americans, than any other institution in the United States. He is nationally respected for his advocacy on behalf of underserved populations in higher education, and his in-depth research report, "A Deficit of Understanding," highlights the funding crisis that threatens access for low-income and minority students. Dr. Padrón has also championed innovative teaching and learning strategies and developed support initiatives to ensure student success. He was a member of AAC&U Greater Expectations national panel that re-examined baccalaureate education in the U.S. and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s Commission on the High School Senior Year.
Dr. Padrón’s transformational accomplishments at Miami Dade College have been acknowledged by the national media, including The New York Times,[3][4] Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
[edit] Civic Leadership
Padrón’s energetic leadership extends to some of the nation’s most influential organizations. He serves as the chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and has been past chair of the League for Innovation in the Community College and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. He has held leadership positions, among others, on the boards of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans; Campus Compact; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute; and College Board. He has served on the boards of the American Council on Education; Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Business-Higher Education Forum; League for Innovation in the Community College; RC-2020, an organization for large community colleges; Collins Center for Public Policy; International Association of University Presidents; the Business-Higher Education Forum; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Moreover, beyond his focus on education, he has served in an advisory capacity to U.S. Secretaries of State Cyrus Vance, Edmund Muskie, and Condoleezza Rice, and he was appointed to the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee with Michael Chertoff, the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. As of September 2009, Padrón has served as a member of the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino.[5]
In Florida, Padrón has served on several gubernatorial commissions and has lent his talents to numerous organizations including the Florida Humanities Council; the Florida Council of Presidents (Chair); the Council of 100; Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Council (Chair); Miami Parking Authority (Chair); the Hispanic American League Against Discrimination (Chair); NAACP Miami-Dade (Vice-President); and Greater Miami United (Co-Chair).
[edit] Awards
Under Dr. Padrón’s leadership, Miami Dade College has received national recognition for its longstanding involvement with its urban community, its catalytic effect for social and economic change, and the marked difference it has made in student access and success through pacesetting initiatives. The most recent recognitions include: "2008 Exemplary Award for Improving General Education," Association for General and Liberal Studies; "2008 Chancellor’s Best Practice Award for Academic Affairs," Florida Department of Education; "2008 Green Cleaning Grand Prize," Green Cleaning Network; "2008 Fourth Best College for Digital Transformation," National Center for Digital Education; and, "2008 President George W. Bush’s Higher Education Honor Roll" for service to the community.
Padrón is the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates and prestigious awards. The recent list includes the "2008 Charles Kennedy Equity Award," Association of Community College Trustees; "2008 Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award," American Council on Education; "2008 Innovator of the Year," League for Innovation in the Community College; Chair Academy for Leadership Development’s "2005 Paul A. Elsner Award for International Excellence"; Hispanic Magazine’s "2004 Hispanic Achievement Award in Education;" and the Association of Community College Trustee’s "2002 Chief Executive of the Year" award. He is a prolific writer with countless publications to his credit and serves on the editorial boards of The Presidency and University Business. In addition, he is a guest columnist for Hispanic Magazine and the Miami Herald.
He has been featured in People magazine as one of the world’s most influential Hispanics, in Hispanic Magazine’s list of most powerful Latinos, and in PODER magazine’s report on "Movers and Shakers."
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ date & year of birth according to LCNAF CIP data
- ^ Educational background
- ^ New York Times talks about Padron
- ^ [1]
- ^ National Museum of the American Latin Commission
