Dear MDC family,
Since the start of the pandemic, Miami Dade College has made student and employee safety its top priority. As we continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community, I wanted to share some important news on further actions we are taking to help keep everyone safe in response to increasing COVID cases.
The College is launching MDC CARE – Comprehensive Access to Resources and Education
to safely navigate through the pandemic. In addition to the many COVID safety measures already in place at all campuses, College leadership is working with multiple community partners to facilitate vaccinations for employees 65 and older. We are proud to announce a partnership with Jackson Health System and are pleased that many of our 65+ employees have already received their vaccines or are scheduled to get it. As we wait for more federal and state direction on the expansion of the population eligible for vaccines, we are in discussions which include the possibly of utilizing MDC locations and qualified faculty and students to administer vaccines. Miami Dade College will work toward
prioritizing a phased plan that aligns with federal and state guidelines to include other employee and student groups to receive vaccinations. As this program progresses, we will make sure to keep everyone informed. In the meantime, I wanted to share a list of vaccination sites in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties for those 65 and older. They are listed at the end of this email.
To expand on MDC CARE, the College has partnered with Curative to provide COVID-19 testing to the College community. I am happy to share that COVID-19 tests will be administered at North Campus and Kendall Campus at no cost to those being tested. You will be receiving additional details in the days to come as well as appointment links.
In an effort to continue providing our students safe and effective learning options, I am also pleased to share that we are launching a new learning modality called MDC LIVE.
This allows our students to learn interactively in a virtual environment synchronously. We have listened to our students and know many of them want to interact with faculty and classmates during structured and fixed class times. This synchronous learning modality provides both our students and faculty the opportunity to interact in a virtual platform in the safety of a remote setting. We believe this modality will only grow in demand and contribute to increased student success. This modality provides all the benefits of face-to-face instruction but in a virtual environment delivered using Zoom, Blackboard and MS Teams. We will be adding MDC LIVE sections to the Spring mini-term
offerings and anticipate this will help our enrollment efforts.
These initiatives are in addition to the comprehensive safety measures already in place at the College. Keeping students and employees safe and healthy at MDC is not only our goal, but also critical to properly serving our students, maintaining operations, and continuity for all. The physical safety of our students and employees is also directly tied to the fiscal health of our College. When we work to keep each other healthy, everyone wins.
As we have done since our founding, MDC’s goal is to be part of the solution, serving as a partner throughout Miami-Dade County. We have a long history of being a beacon of hope for our community. Always ready to do our part, our campuses have been used as food and relief distribution centers during and following emergencies, as well serving as staging points for local, state, and federal partners and utility companies. Most recently, our campuses have served as food and technology distribution sites in response to the pandemic. The infrastructure and plans are already in place and the College is ready to serve. We hope to once again be a resource for the community by doing our part
to help move society past the COVID pandemic.
Thank you for your continued commitment and dedication to academic excellence and student success during these unprecedented times. Together we will emerge stronger and more innovative than ever.
Be safe and be well.
Madeline
Madeline Pumariega
President
Miami Dade College | 
