Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, Miami Dade College president, (left) watches as President Barack Obama signs an executive order after announcing Padrón as the chair of a new White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. The announcement was made on Oct. 19. In this important role, Dr. Padrón will lead a commission comprising 30 members, including academics, business leaders and philanthropists, charged with the responsibility of providing guidance to the administration on education issues related to Hispanics and to address academic excellence and opportunities in the Hispanic community. The initiative aims to increase educational attainment for Hispanic children and youths and to close the achievement gap between Hispanic students and their non-Hispanic peers. In his speech, President Obama thanked Dr. Padrón and also expressed his support of the DREAM Act.
