Miami Dade College - MDC (reviews)

History

Miami Dade College was established in 1959 and opened in 1960 as Dade County Junior College, located at Miami Central High School. In 1960, new facilities were built which would soon become the college’s North Campus. At the beginning, the college enrolled African American students and Cuban exiles who could not afford other schools, becoming Florida’s first integrated junior college. Some years later, Mitchell Wolfson, the chairman, envisioned a campus in downtown Miami, and in 1973, the Wolfson Campus was built. The college changed its name to Miami-Dade Community College around the same time and initially implemented an open admissions policy, meaning anyone who could afford classes was allowed to enroll. Because of this, the focus of the college became strengthening its academics. With a cut in the education budget by the government, the institution began to rely on the Miami Dade College Foundation – consisting mainly of alumni – for financial support. In addition, new ways of recruiting students were needed, and the college began its “Successful Alumni” campaign in the late 1990s, marketing the success of the college’s alumni to local prospective students. In 2001, Miami Dade implemented a plan to revamp the college, and in 2002 disbanded its Honors Program and created The Honors College for talented high school graduates. In 2007, The Honors College expanded into the InterAmerican Campus with The Honors College Dual Language Honors Program. The Dual Language Honors Program opened its doors to bilingual students who wish to continue their careers with professional fluency in the English and Spanish languages.In 2003, the institution was granted the right to award baccalaureate degrees in education to meet future education needs, and offers three bachelor’s degrees. As there were four-year degrees available to study, the college changed its name again from Miami-Dade Community College to Miami Dade College.