Snubbed after two presidential searches, Miami Dade College’s top academic leader resigns

Lenore Rodicio, Miami Dade College’s executive vice president and provost who was twice in the running to be the next president of the college, has resigned, the college confirmed Tuesday.

Rodicio has been named a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said former Miami Dade College President Eduardo J. Padrón.

“She’s very excited,” he said. “I’m not surprised. For the last two years I’ve had to contend with people trying to steal her from here. It was the right moment, the right opportunity, so it’s good for her.”

Rodicio, 47, has worked with both organizations during her tenure at Miami Dade College, which has more than 100,000 students spread among eight campuses, serving the largest undergraduate class in the nation. She was a key advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the area of scaling post-secondary success and helped the college earn the 2019 Aspen Award for Community College Excellence.

About her job, Padrón said, “It’s a very prestigious position that she’s getting into. She will be able to share expertise nationally and the kind of things that will really help, so it’s all good.”

Rodicio, who has a doctorate of philosophy in chemistry from Louisiana State University, did not immediately return messages from the Herald.

Miami Dade College issued this statement: “Miami Dade College thanks Dr. Rodicio for her many years of exemplary service and dedication, and wishes her well in all of her future endeavors where she will no doubt continue making an impact on student success.”

Elizabeth Ramsay, president of the United Faculty of Miami Dade College, said Rodicio’s job change was “sudden, but it is not surprising.”

“It absolutely comes as no surprise that she had lots of offers from which to choose,” she said. “Those are foundations that would be very lucky to have Lenore as part of their leadership team.”

Rodicio came to the college in 2002 as a chemistry professor. She rose through the ranks and worked as dean of academic affairs, vice provost for student achievement, and provost of academic and student affairs. Rodicio became the right-hand woman to Padrón, who retired in August 2019 after nearly 50 years at the college, including president for 24 years.

Rodicio was the sole internal finalist in the first search for Padrón’s successor that began in spring 2019. All but one of the trustees at Miami Dade College voted in July to scrap the search and start again. The trustees advanced Rodicio as a finalist in the second search.

In her recent pitch for the job last month, Rodicio was candid about why she stuck around for the second search.

“A lot of individuals asked me why I chose to stay and see this process through,” Rodicio said. “Quite simply, I stayed because I hope. I have hope in this institution. I have hope in each and every one of you today. ... I have hope in this community. I have the connections; I have the experience to lead this institution into its future.”

A few days later, the board narrowed the search to Rodicio and Madeline Pumariega, 53, a former Miami Dade College administrator who served as the chancellor of the Florida College System and, most recently, as executive vice president and provost of Tallahassee Community College.

Trustees gave the edge to Pumariega, who they said had the advantage of political connections in Tallahassee. Padrón had been at odds with the Republican-controlled Legislature during his tenure, though Rodicio emphasized that she is not Padrón.

Pumariega thanked Rodicio for her valuable contributions to the college, particularly in student success.

“I think Lenore is an incredibly talented administrator,” she said. “A lot of gratitude for her contributions to the college, but I think she’ll absolutely also contribute to the national landscape of higher ed.”

Pumariega is planning to begin her presidency on Jan. 4.

Also this week, Carlos Migoya, the CEO of Jackson Health System, resigned from the college’s board of trustees. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to the board in March 2019, and he most recently served as the board’s vice chair.

Migoya had been in Rodicio’s corner, but he ultimately voted with the board, which last month unanimously selected Pumariega for the job.

“She [Rodicio] proved last year she can do Tallahassee,” said Migoya last month. “We’re way beyond what happened here years ago. I think Dr. Rodicio would be the right candidate.”

Miami Dade College gave this statement on Migoya’s resignation:

“Miami Dade College thanks Mr. Migoya, an alumnus, for his exemplary service on the Board of Trustees, where he ably served as vice chairman,” she wrote. “We know he will continue to support our students and institution in other capacities. We wish him well in all his future endeavors especially as the leader in our region’s public healthcare response and recovery to the pandemic in which he has doing an exceptional job.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 4:32 PM.