As Padrón’s tenure ends, Miami Dade College talks next steps in presidential search

After 24 years as president of Miami Dade College, Friday is Eduardo Padrón’s last day on the job.

It’s not clear yet who will be in charge after that.

The college’s Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Wolfson Campus to discuss the “next steps” of the search to find Padrón’s successor. No further details have been made public. The board could appoint an interim president.

In a statement released by the college, board chair Bernie Navarro called for maintaining “professionalism, decorum and protocol” before and during the meeting.

“Civility is paramount to making progress on the issues facing Miami Dade College, an institution we all cherish and highly respect,” he said.

Tensions have run high since the college’s board opted not to select a president from its four finalists and suspended the search process in July. Many, including those involved in the search, have voiced concerns that the search is rigged for a political candidate. A spokesman for the college said the headhunting firm contracted for the firm has been dismissed.

Only one finalist, Lenore Rodicio, the college’s executive vice president and sole internal candidate, remains in the running.

The college’s faculty union has since staged demonstrations and, on the behalf of five current and former professors, filed a lawsuit claiming the board of trustees “arbitrarily and capriciously violated its established process.” It has called on a judge to compel the board to reinstate and finish the selection process previously established.

Trustee Marcell Felipe, who was appointed to the board in March, has been vocally adamant that a new search is needed. He has gone on TV, Spanish radio and on his social media pages defending the board’s decision to reboot the search process and dismissing complaints of a fixed search. He has said that the established process may have been set up to favor a preferred candidate, and that the “new board,” with four new members out of seven, should conduct a new search.

He previously told the Miami Herald that he agreed in a conversation with Padrón not to further discuss the matter publicly for the sake of civility.

Padrón has declined to comment on the search, but some of his feelings may have slipped during a speech he gave at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon held Aug. 7. He was honored for his career at MDC and service to the community.

He said Miami needs good people to protect the city’s potential, “and that we prevent anyone from taking over many of the things we do so well in this community.” He was interrupted by applause.

Padrón said that wasn’t a dig at the forces behind the scrapped search process.

“I would never do that,” he said, clarifying that he was referring to, “all the killings and all the things going on around town” of which the community bears responsibility.

After a visit at the Miami Herald offices Tuesday, Padrón again declined to talk about the search.

“It’s very, very personal to me,” he said.

Come his first day of retirement on Monday, Padrón says he’ll focus on himself before fundraising for scholarships for Miami Dade College students and “building community.”

“I need to do everything I never do,” like go to the doctor and dentist, he said.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 2:16 PM.