Morocco appoints Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padrón as honorary consul

Eduardo Padrón, president of Miami Dade College, has a new title to add his résumé: honorary consul of the Kingdom of Morocco.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been given this opportunity to serve on the consular corps,” Padrón said in a statement. “I look forward to forge even stronger ties between Morocco and the Miami community. With so much in common with Spain, just a few miles north across the strait of Gibraltar, Morocco, in turn, has more in common with South Florida than many people know.”

A ceremony appointing Padrón, a trained economist, to his new post was held Tuesday morning at the college’s Miami Culinary Institute. Rachad Bouhlal, Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, participated in the event.

Honorary consuls are tasked with promoting economic and cultural ties between nations. Foreign governments including those of France, Argentina and Spain have previously honored Padrón for his contributions to education.

He became president of Miami Dade College in 1995.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Morocco appoints Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padrón as honorary consul."