Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College System with more than 100,000 students. The college enrolls a significantly larger number of Hispanic students compared to other colleges and universities in the state of Florida. The college serves a higher number of minority students than any other college in the nation.
History
Initially established on the farm of a county high school, Dade County Junior College and later, Miami Dade Community College—as it was formerly known—had its modest beginnings. Like most organizations at the time, it was a segregated institution. It wasn't until 1962 that desegregation took full effect, and black and white students could share full schedules. In 1963, the first new building was constructed, and Peter Masiko would become president for the next 18 years. As the years progressed, more campuses began opening across the county,including the Kendall Campus and the Wolfson Campus.
Initially, the college had an open admissions policy, meaning anyone who could afford to pay was allowed to study at the campus. Due to this, the college aimed to improve its academic stance among alumni. To encourage this movement, a Medical Center was built for students in Allied Health and Nursing (RN) programs. As the number of Cuban exiles and refugees began to rise in 1980, an outreach center was built in the city of Hialeah. This allowed refugees and immigrants educational opportunities that they wouldn't be able to achieve otherwise. Another outreach center, the InterAmerican Center, was built to accommodate bilingual education. The Homestead Campus was built in 1990 in Homestead to relieve the concerns of students having to drive to the Kendall Campus In Miami. In the mid-1990s, the college began to rely heavily on the Miami Dade College Foundation as the Florida legislature reduced the state's education budget. The college also had to figure out new ways of recruiting students. It began its "Successful Alumni" campaign in the late 1990s, marketing the success of the college's alumni to local prospective students.
Beginning in 2001, the college implemented a strategic plan to revamp the college and its recruiting goals. In 2002, the college disbanded its Honors Program and created The Honors College for talented high school graduates. The Honors College is a representation of Miami Dade College's most academically-gifted students in different fields and was originally based on the three larger campuses (Wolfson, Kendall, and North).In 2006, Miami Dade College surpassed 1.5 million students enrolled throughout its history. In 2007, The Honors College expanded into the Eduardo J. Padron Campus (formerly - InterAmerican Campus) with The Honors College Dual Language Honors Program to tailor to the needs of the growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States as well as abroad. The Dual Language Honors Program opened its doors to bilingual students who wish to continue their careers with professional fluency in the English and Spanish languages. In 2009, The MDC Honors College Dual Language Program earned the merit of Innovation of the Year in the Learning and Teaching Department from the League for Innovation. The Honors College continues to expand and will open its fifth campus at Miami Dade College Homestead Campus Fall 2022. In 2018, Miami Dade was awarded and recognized for its path to economic and social mobility by the Aspen Institute. The award received was the $1 million Aspen Prize.
In 2021, Eduardo Padron was succeeded by Madeline Pumariega as president of the college. He had held the position since 1995.
Miami Dade College has eight campuses and two centers, with its main campus being the Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. These eight campuses and various outreach centers are located throughout Miami-Dade County. The Honors College is currently represented on five campuses, with a bilingual program (English-Spanish) at the Padron Campus. All campuses have different schools for various disciplines (engineering, business, etc.). Some campuses also operate dual-enrollment programs for high school students. Most campuses also have College Preparatory or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses that help students pass the Computerized Placement Test (CPT) that is required for admittance and proves prospective students are qualified to take college-level mathematics and English courses