Miami, June 13, 2016 – Miami Dade College (MDC) President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón has received the 2016 Miami Herald Visionary Award in Education. The awards honor local leaders whose efforts and innovative approaches have positively impacted the South Florida community. President Padrón was nominated for creating positive change in the areas of public, private or secondary education.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized with this award from such an esteemed and respected publication that impacts on a daily basis the residents of South Florida,” said President Padrón. “Miami Dade College continually strives to innovate to prepare students to succeed in an evolving and competitive global workplace.”
An economist by training, President Padrón earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. In 2009, Time magazine included him among the “10 Best College Presidents” in the United States. In 2010, Florida Trend placed him on the cover of the inaugural “Floridian of the Year” issue. In 2011, The Washington Post recognized him as one of the eight most influential college presidents in the country. In addition, the Carnegie Corporation of New York granted him its prestigious Centennial Academic Leadership Award. He is also the first college president to receive the National Citizen Service Award from Voices for National Service. In addition, he has been named an Ascend Fellow by the Aspen Institute and he is the recipient of the Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence, the highest honor in U.S. higher education. He was recently honored with the 2015 Diverse Champions Award from Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine, among many other distinctions.
During his more than four decade career at MDC, President Padrón has been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by six American Presidents. His energetic leadership also extends to many of the nation’s leading organizations. He is former chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. President Padrón currently chairs the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
President Padrón’s transformational accomplishments at Miami Dade College have been regularly acknowledged by the national media, including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN and The Chronicle of Higher Education, to name a few. He has received some of the most prestigious awards in and out of academia and more than 15 honorary doctorates from leading universities such as Rollins, Princeton and Brown. He is also the recipient of highest honors from the governments of foreign nations, including France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin; and Spain whose King Juan Carlos II bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella and King Felipe VI awarded him the prestigious Juan Ponce de León Award.