Miami Dade College (MDC) president Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón has been honored by the South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America with the 2013 “Good Scout” Award. This special award recognizes respected community leaders and organizations that exemplify the values of Scouting through their service and support of the community.
Dr. Padrón’s has led Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest institution of higher education, since 1995. His energetic leadership also extends to many of the nation’s leading organizations. He is the immediate past chair of the prestigious American Council on Education and past chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He also serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve; Council on Foreign Relations and the Business/Higher Education Forum among other major national organizations.
During his career, he has also been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by six American Presidents, most recently as chair of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans by President Barack Obama. Padrón also recently was named one of Time magazine’s “10 Best College Presidents,” one of the eight most “influential college leaders” in the U.S. in the Washington Post and the “Floridian of the Year” by Florida Trend magazine.
Dr. Padrón is the recipient of hundreds of major awards during his career which began in 1970 including the 2012 National Citizen Service Award from Voices for National Service; 2012 Sand in My Shoes Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; 2011 Centennial Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation; 2010 Chairman’s Award from the Beacon Council; 2008 Innovator of the Year Award from the League for Innovation; the 2008 Charles Kennedy Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees, and other honors.
Internationally, Dr. Padrón’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous nations and organizations including the Republic of France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; Republic of Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin, and Spain’s King Juan Carlos II, who bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella.
