As we build upon the success of our students, Miami Dade College will continue to be the pathway to the American dream, benefitting not only our community and future generations, but also our state and nation. Our ultimate goal is to ensure each of our students has the opportunity to pursue a college education at an affordable cost, graduate in a timely manner and learn the skills needed to be prepared for the workforce.

We heard that when students have guided pathways, advising and resources, they are more successful. As we continue to focus on strategies that lead to academic success, we will need to enhance our efforts and provide students clear pathways and personalized advising. We also need to leverage technology to help them navigate from MDC to a four-year program of study.

In many ways, the pandemic accelerated workforce innovations and technological advancements that will create additional opportunities for our students. MDC will continue to align program offerings to meet the changing needs of the labor market, including new program development. We announced several in-demand tech programs — including rapid credentials and digital badges, as well as new associate and bachelor’s degrees — that will help everyone have a path to prosperity.

Our business and community leaders look to MDC to meet their talent needs. As we move forward, developing and sustaining partnerships with educational institutions, businesses and civic organizations will be vital in ensuring MDC remains a trusted partner. We are building on partnerships with companies such as IBM, Amazon, Google IT and Tesla, and forging new ones, including a recent alliance with SoftBank and Correlation One that offers students a path to pursue opportunities in data science. Amazon Web Services (AWS) learning resources and internship opportunities are also preparing students for success.

Faculty and staff bring passion and devotion to their work. We will continue to promote student learning through faculty professional development. During our MDC Employee Retreat, a long-standing tradition at the College, we invited Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a national speaker on equity in higher education. We reflected on our data and collectively worked on focusing on our equity and student success initiatives.

"MDC is committed to training Miami’s future technology workforce. With Miami’s growing technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem, no institution is better poised to deliver the talent for this new workforce."

Accelerating innovation and academic excellence are what a pandemic and post-pandemic academic learning environment requires to meet the needs of our community.