dr. eduardo padron, the then-vice president of this very campus. and it was then a very much smaller miami-dade college. it was the early 1980s, and miami was very much in turmoil. if you can remember the early '80s. hundreds of thousands of new immigrants came here. there was an incredible amount of racial strife. there were riots. we had a very moribund downtown, nobody was sure what the future of downtown would be. in fact, many of you might remember "time" magazine had an article that said miami: paradise lost with a big question mark. miami at the time was really straining at its seams. but under dr. padron's leadership, a group of us felt that we would help heal the wounds of our community by celebrating its diversity, because back then miami was one of the most diverse communities in the country as it is now. and that we would invite everyone under one gigantic tent to celebrate the written word and begin a conversation together. that conversation hasn't stopped for these 33 book fairs. and i, for one, want to thank dr. padron, who's now pre

dr. padron has built a dream factory for one of our nation's most diverse student bodies. 165,000 students in all. he is one of the world's preeminent education leaders, thinking out of the box, supporting students throughout their lives, embodying the belief that we're only as great as the doors we open. eduardo's example is one we can all follow -- a champion of those who strive for this same american dream that first drew him to our shores. when elouise cobell filed a lawsuit for recover land and money for her people, she didn't set out to be a hero, she said "i just wanted to give justice to people that didn't have it." and her life long quest to address the mismanagement of american indian lands, resources, trust funds, wasn't about special treatment but the equal treatment at the heart of the american promise. she fought for almost 15 years across three presidents, seven trials, 10 appearances before a federal appeals court. all the while she traveled the country some 40 weeks a year telling the story of her people. and in the end, this graduate of a room-room schoolhouse became a mc

dr. padron has built a dream factory for one of our nation's most diverse student bodies. 165,000 studentsn all. he is one of the world's preeminent education leaders, thinking out of the box, supporting students throughout their lives, embodying the belief that we're only as great as the doors we open. eduardo's example is one we can all follow. a champion of those who strive for this same american dream that first drew him to our shores. when elouise cobell first filed a lawsuit, she didn't set out to be a hero. she said, i just wanted to give justice to people that didn't have it. and her life-long quest to address the mismanagement of american indian lands, resources, trust funds, wasn't about special treatment but the equal treatment of the heart of the american promise. she fought for almost 15 years across three presidents, seven trials, ten appearances before a federal appeals court. all the while she traveled the country some 40 weeks a year telling the story of her people. and in the end, this graduate of a one-room schoolhouse became a macarthur genius, a proud daughter of monta

dr. padron has built one of the most diverse student bodies. 165,000 students in all.e's one of the world's preeminent education leaders, seeking outside the box, supporting students throughout their lives, embodying the belief that we are only as great as the doors we open. eduardo's example is one we can all follow, a champion of those who strive for the same american dream that first drew him to our shores. when elouise cobell first filed a lawsuit, she said, i just wanted to give people -- i just wanted to give justice to people that didn't have it. and her lifelong quest to address the mismanagement of american-indian lands resources trust funds wasn't about special treatment, but the equal treatment at the heart of the american promise. she fought for almost 15 years across three presidents, seven trials, ten appearances before a federal appeals court, all the while she traveled the country some 40 weeks a year telling the story of her people. in the end, this graduate of a one-room schoolhouse became a mcarthur genius, she was a proud daughter of montana's black

dr. eduardo j. padron.applause] >> as a teenage refugee from cuba, eduardo padron came to the united states to pursue the american dream, and he has spent his life making that dream real for others. as president of the community college he once attended, his thoughtful leadership and commitment to education have transformed miami-dade college into one of the premier learning institutions in the country, earning him praise around the world. his personal story and lasting professional influence prove that success need not be determined by our background, but by our dedication to others, our passion for creating an america that is as inclusive as it is prosperous. [applause] >> robert redford. [applause] >> robert redford has captivated audiences from both sides of the camera through entertaining motion pictures that often explore vital social, political, and historical themes. his lifelong advocacy on behalf of preserving our environment will prove as an enduring legacy as will his award-winning films, as wil

dr. eduardo j. padron. [applause] >> as a teenage refugee from cuba, eduardo padron came to the united states to pursue the american dream, and he has spent his life making that dream real for others. as president of the community college he once attended, his thoughtful leadership and commitment to education have transformed miami-dade college into one of the premier learning institutions in the country, earning him praise around the world. his personal story and lasting professional influence prove that success need not be determined by our background, but by our dedication to others, our passion for creating an america that is as inclusive as it is prosperous. [applause] >> robert redford. [applause] >> robert redford has captivated audiences from both sides of the camera through entertaining motion pictures that often explore vital social, political, and historical themes. his lifelong advocacy on behalf of preserving our environment will prove as an enduring legacy as will his award-winning films, as w

dr. eduardo j. padron. [applause] >> as a teenage refugee from cuba, eduardo padron came to the united states to pursue the american dream, and he has spent his life making that dream real for others. as president of the community college he once attended, his thoughtful leadership and commitment to education have transformed miami-dade college into one of the premier learning institutions in the country, earning him praise around the world. his personal story and lasting professional influence prove that success need not be determined by our background, but by our dedication to others, our passion for creating an america that is as inclusive as it is prosperous. [applause] >> robert redford. [applause] >> robert redford has captivated audiences from both sides of the camera through entertaining motion pictures that often explore vital social, political, and historical themes. his lifelong advocacy on behalf of preserving our environment will prove as an enduring legacy as will his award-winning films, as w

dr. eduardo j. padron. [ applause ] as a teenager refugee from cuba, eduardo padron came to the united states to pursue the american dream, and he has spent his life making that dream real for others. as president of the community college he once attended, his thoughtful leadership and commitment to education have transformed miami-dade college into one of the premier learning institutions in the country, earning him praise around the world. his personal story and lasting professional influence prove that success need not be determined by our background but but our dedication to others, our passion for creating america is as inclusive as it is prosperous. [ applause ] robert redford. [ applause ] robert redford has captivated audiences from both sides of the camera through entertaining motion pictures that often explored vital social, political and historical themes. his lifelong advocacy on behalf of preserving our environment will prove an enduring legacy as his films, as will support for independent fil

dr. eduardo j. padron.plause] >> as a teenage refugee from cuba, eduardo padron came to the united states to pursue the american dream, and he has spent his life making that dream real for others. as president of the community college he once attended, his thoughtful leadership and commitment to education have transformed miami-dade college into one of the premier learning institutions in the country, earning him praise around the world. his personal story and lasting professional influence prove that success need not be determined by our background, but by our dedication to others, our passion for creating an america that is as inclusive as it is prosperous. [applause] >> robert redford. [applause] >> robert redford has captivated audiences from both sides of the camera through entertaining motion pictures that often explore vital social, political, and historical themes. his lifelong advocacy on behalf of preserving our environment will prove as an enduring legacy as will his award-winning films, as will