Miami Dade College to Receive the National Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education Award

Miami, March 18, 2016Miami Dade College (MDC) will receive the 2016 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (EDIE) Institutional Award for its outstanding achievements in diversity & inclusion in Education Abroad. This recognition is granted by the Diversity Abroad Network, the leading professional consortium dedicated to increasing access and fostering inclusive excellence in international education.

“This award not only encourages us to meet our responsibility to expand access to international education opportunities for our students, but it supports our strategic resolution to build a globally competent workforce,” said Tatiana Mackliff, Executive Director of International Education at MDC.

In addition to leading the national conversation on diversity in the field, the EDIE Award recognizes MDC for developing international programs that bridge the gap between the intangible benefits of studying abroad and the concrete workforce demands in the local community. In a strategic effort to prepare students for a global workforce, the Office of International Education is working with academic departments across MDC to create skill-based study abroad options that prepare students for careers in some of Miami’s strongest industries, including hospitality, tourism and culinary arts, medical services, and animation and game design.

Despite MDC’s unique student body demographic — with over with over 90% minorities, 39% below the federal poverty level, and 51% first-generation college students — the Office of International Education has experienced unprecedented growth in the number of students going abroad. The number of students applying for traditional study abroad programs quadrupled in 2015-2016 and the number of faculty-led programs are predicted to double by summer 2017.

Currently, the Office of International Education offers over 100 study abroad options and continues to create new foreign partnerships. These include: short-term faculty led programs, short-term and long-term exchanges with foreign institutions, and multiple scholarship opportunities that support participation for low-income students. The Office of International Education is committed to equipping students with an international perspective that makes them civically engaged and globally competitive, and will continue searching for ways to bring the world to Miami and Miami to the world.

 

About Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College (MDC) is the higher education institution with the largest undergraduate enrollment in the America, with more than 165,000 students. It is also the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to minorities than any other college or university in the country. The college’s eight campuses and outreach center offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including several baccalaureate degrees in education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film, engineering, biological sciences, and others. In fact, its academic and workforce training programs are national models of excellence. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami International Film Festival, the MDC Live Arts Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, a major sculpture park and large art gallery and theater systems. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting since it opened its doors in 1960. For more information please visit www.mdc.edu.