Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
MDC and SingleStop secure $1.2 million grant to increase college-completion rates
Miami Dade College and SingleStop USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty, helping community colleges increase graduation rates and achieving a new level of social mobility, have secured a $1.2 million grant from the Kresge Foundation to develop MDC/SingleStop outreach centers at three MDC campuses during the next two years.
Beginning in the fall term, MDC and SingleStop will offer MDC students and their families eligibility screening and filing of applications for a full range of federal and state benefits, including counseling services, free legal services, free financial counseling and free tax preparation services.
The MDC/SingleStop partnership will help our students surmount financial barriers and break the cycle of poverty in two ways. In the short term, we will augment financial aid by providing students and their families with immediate access to crucial benefits and services in order to supplement their income; and, in the long run, because this influx of resources helps students to stay in school and graduate, this initiative will lead to higher increased lifetime earnings and greater economic mobility for our students and community.
We will keep you apprised of developments in our partnership with SingleStop as we near the start of the fall semester.
Thank you.
Eduardo