OFFICIAL RIBBON-CUTTING: Ceremony introduced new facility Tuesday. PHOTO COURTESY OF MDC

Staff Report

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Homestead Campus, the college’s most southern site in Miami-Dade County, celebrated the grand opening of its new Student Success Center, a 60,000 square foot, fourstory multi-purpose building to better serve students, Tuesday.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place hosted by MDC President Madeline Pumariega, Provost Dr. Malou Harrison and MDC Homestead

Campus President Dr. Oscar Loynaz, with city and county elected officials in attendance.

The new Student Success Center will house an array of services, including admissions and registration, financial aid, advisement, the Honors College and student services.

The fourth floor will be a dedicated conference space with an accompanying art gallery to showcase student, faculty, and local artists exhibits. The third floor will accommodate entrepreneurial programming for the small business community, with a specialized focus on entrepreneurship, economic and community development and the goal of enabling students to obtain workforce and business skills necessary to succeed in the job market.

Originally envisioned by the architectural firm Rodriguez & Quiroga and transformed by VIA Design Studio, the new center at 301 Civic Court will be fully operational and ready to serve students starting this fall term, which begins on Monday, Aug. 21.

MDC Homestead Campus opened its doors in 1985 as the college’s fifth campus with 350 students, operating out of the First Baptist Church. Soon thereafter, a modern campus facility located in the historic business district of downtown Homestead had been built to serve South Dade’s ever-growing student population. Over the past decade, the campus has experienced remarkable growth, earning a reputation for excellence and innovation.