Miami, Jan. 10, 2017 – Miami Dade College (MDC) President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón has been selected to receive the Miami Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 MISO Golden Baton Recognition Award during the symphony’s Ocean Drive in Vienna concert at 6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center. Dr. Padrón is being recognized for his decades of leadership at MDC and commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the community.
An economist by training, President Padrón earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Recently, Dr. Padrón received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, the nation’s highest civilian honor bestowed to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the the United States. 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 where he’s created a culture of success, 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. He’s considered the nation’s greatest voice for access and in inclusion in education.
President Padrón’s transformational accomplishments at Miami Dade College have also been regularly lauded 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.
About the Miami Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1989, The Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) is considered a decisive contributor to Miami’s cultural fabric. Ambitious, accomplished and respected far beyond the city’s boundaries, the symphony enjoys the status of a Major Cultural Organization. Additionally, its energy and talent are buoyed by significant support from federal, state and local entities, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the state Division of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council. With national and world premieres, MISO is a source of growing local pride and support. Since 2006, the symphony’s baton has been in the hands of Maestro Eduardo Marturet, a Venezuelan composer and conductor acclaimed on three continents. The not-for-profit symphony also conducts an in-school arts and education program for elementary school students in the Miami-Dade Public School System and provides low or no-cost tickets to students and senior citizens in South Florida. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.themiso.org.