MIAMI, August 24, 2021 – Starting this fall, Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Honors College is expanding to the Homestead Campus, the College’s most southern site, making it the fifth MDC campus served by the prestigious program along with Kendall, North, Wolfson and Padrón, a location where it offers a dual language (English/Spanish) modality. The Honors College at Homestead Campus will officially welcome its first class of students in fall 2022.
“The Honors College provides many social, economic, cultural, and educational benefits,” said Dr. Eric W. Hoffman, Dean of The Honors College. “Having a location at the southernmost campus in the county will provide resources and opportunities that will not only greatly benefit local students but also the community of Homestead and surrounding areas.”
In 2020, 142 students from Homestead and adjacent communities applied for admission to The Honors College. This number represents a 62% increase in applications over a three-year period and is equal to 11.7% of all applicants in the total pool. From these applications, The Honors College identifies and recruits highly gifted and motivated students from public, private and charter schools who can benefit from the rigorous academic learning community provided by The Honors College. Currently, MDC wholly serves Homestead’s higher education needs through the Homestead Campus, which enrolls approximately 3,100 students each semester.
Students admitted to the Honors College receive the prestigious Honors College Fellow Award, which provides free tuition and fees as well as a generous stipend for books and other expenses. The vast majority of graduates from The Honors College complete their degrees with little or no debt; and thanks to the stackable nature of the Program’s scholarships, a good number of students graduate with additional funds that can be used as they continue their educational journeys. Students are also availed with one-on-one advising and mentoring, elevated honors courses, enrichment colloquiums, protocol training, civic engagement activities, and travel opportunities to gain exposure to new ideas and cultures.
“Bringing The Honors College to our campus will provide new opportunities to all our students, not just those in the program,” said Dr. Oscar Loynaz, President of Homestead Campus. “In addition to offering Honors Extended courses, we have also applied for a grant that, if awarded, will allow for Honors College students to serve as STEM tutors on campus.”
The Honors College is nationally renowned and once tabbed by TIME magazine in a major article an “Ivy Stepladder.”
For more information about the Homestead Campus Honors College, please contact Dr. Cynthia Okoe at 305-237-2861 or cokoe@mdc.edu or visit https://www.mdc.edu/honorscollege/about/homestead.aspx