Miami Dade College was the central focus of a recent report on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams that highlighted the importance of community colleges, the Obama Administration’s focus on community colleges as a linchpin to economic recovery, and the challenges MDC and like institutions face from surging enrollment and reduced funding. 

As displaced workers sought re-education and four-year institutions capped enrollment to manage shrinking budgets, registration demand at MDC has grown exponentially.

But MDC and other community colleges are funded at a level far below K-12 school districts and public universities.

In recent months, the College has suffered its share of cuts, including the elimination of 111 positions, collapsed or eliminated programs, and limited course sections. Approximately 30,000 students were unable to register for the courses they need in the fall term.

“This is the worst that I have seen,” MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón told correspondent Michelle Kosinski during the special report.

The Nightly News report was one in a series of national news stories about Miami Dade College. As MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the U.S., journalists have turned to the College to illustrate issues facing the nation’s community colleges. MDC has recently appeared in reports published in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and USA Today, as well as on CNN and National Public Radio, to name a few.