Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami-Dade College

Invest: spoke with Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College, about positioning Miami Dade College (MDC) for a higher education environment increasingly defined by measurable outcomes, workforce alignment, and rapid technology change. “People wanted to see ROI, and we’re seeing that,” Pumariega said, pointing to a strategy centered on performance, agility, and partnerships — particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) — to strengthen talent pipelines and reinforce Miami-Dade County’s competitiveness.

How have MDC’s strategic priorities translated into concrete programs and changes across campuses?
Higher education is shifting from a traditional academic delivery model to a performance-driven workforce enterprise model. When I arrived in 2021, our No. 1 strategic priority was reimagining the student experience — recognizing the future would require more personalized educational delivery. Another priority has been securing our future, because policymakers and the broader higher education landscape are asking, “Is it worth it?” The way you answer that is by demonstrating measurable return on investment, agility to respond to labor market shifts, and operational efficiencies.

AI has also become an accelerator across every industry, and MDC has been positioned to be both a partner and a leader through AI partnerships we’ve built over the last five years. We recently celebrated five years with Intel, which has helped drive AI curriculum across the college and across different verticals. Tactically, we also hosted a National Summit on artificial intelligence with about 400 community colleges, bringing together industry partners and faculty who are using AI in business, teaching, and healthcare to transform curriculum and the student experience.

How is MDC integrating AI and emerging technologies to personalize learning and prepare students for future careers?
Higher education is experiencing the same types of transformation we see in industry — digitization, student-centric redesign, data transparency, and accountability for outcomes. For students, personalization means more than a generic email. It means an academic advisor who knows your goal and can deliver a personalized nudge or text based on who you are and what you’re pursuing, for instance, if you’re a business major and there’s an internship opportunity for you.

We’re leveraging our data and using AI — including the evolution of AI agents and digital workers — to personalize student experiences and reduce barriers. We’re also personalizing academic support in the classroom so students can focus on engaging with faculty and peers. This is a journey, not a destination, and we continue to reimagine the student experience by leveraging AI to make learning and support more tailored.

What partnerships have been most meaningful, and how are students benefiting?
One area I’m especially proud of is the Florida Center for Aviation and Aerospace at MDC. We have partnerships with AAR and Collins Aerospace, along with technical program partnerships, and students benefit because these relationships create apprenticeship pathways and industry certifications.

Those credentials help students enter a growing field that spans aviation mechanics, aerospace, and drone technologies. The partnership model is designed to provide educational exposure alongside workforce experience that leads to a job — and to a job with higher wages in a high-demand sector.

We’re not expanding programs as an academic exercise. These expansions are built on collaboration with industry partners and structured job pipelines. The goal is to meet the talent needs of an industry partner or sector right here in our community.

What is driving MDC’s enrollment growth, especially in a competitive higher education landscape?
A good part of our growth is that we’re producing talent that fuels business growth. Fields like cybersecurity continue to grow because everywhere you turn, you need cybersecurity technicians. Nursing is another area where students see a clear pathway to high-wage jobs. We also see demand across teaching, as well as AI, entrepreneurship, and business.

We’re showing students the value: when you come to MDC, you engage in opportunities that provide internships and job readiness, accelerating economic mobility and professional success. Strong employer partnerships and clear pathways support higher placement rates. Students want to invest where they can see a return.

For every dollar a student invests in Miami Dade College and in themselves, they’re seeing an $11 return. The college’s economic impact on our community is $5 billion.

How do you see MDC’s role evolving as an economic engine for Miami-Dade County?
Our economic impact is significant — about a $5 billion return in our community and $7 billion for the state of Florida. As employers continue moving toward skills-based hiring, modular credentials, and stackable credentials, we’re positioned to meet that demand.

Students can move from a college credit certificate to an associate’s to a bachelor’s, or enter through an apprenticeship and continue into an associate’s program. Those stackable credentials give students confidence that the pathway will lead to outcomes — whether that’s transferring to a great state university, going on to elite institutions like Carnegie Mellon or MIT, or securing an internship and a job, including through our partnership with FIFA.

You can’t say you’re a workforce engine without creating the conditions for students to start at any point — upskilling, reskilling, or coming right out of high school — and offering multiple pathways. That’s what keeps the engine going and drives continued economic impact.

How do you cultivate a culture of care across campuses for students, faculty, and staff?
One way is through investing in our people. We just launched our fourth Presidential Leadership Academy, where we take about 50 emerging leaders through a nine-month leadership program. That’s a concrete way to build culture and demonstrate care through talent development.

Culture isn’t a side conversation — it’s an enterprise strategy. We have to execute strategy and align our culture of care to reimagining the student experience, academic excellence and innovation, workforce partnerships, and securing our future. That depends on having the most talented workforce, and we build it by investing in that workforce.

We recognize excellence in ways that reinforce culture. We recently celebrated 10 faculty members being named endowed teaching chairs, which is recognition from their peers. We also have the Presidential Excellence Award for employees who go above and beyond with extraordinary care for students. Culture is often what you reward and recognize, and we want to reward those levels of excellence.

When people find their purpose and know their “why,” and we support them, they do extraordinary things to help students and help MDC achieve its strategic priorities.

Are there any additional themes to highlight about Miami’s trajectory and MDC’s role?
What’s happening in Miami isn’t a “moment” — it’s years of ecosystem building. We’re at the epicenter of sports, starting the year with the Orange Bowl, hosting the NCAA National Championship game, and seeing major events like USA Hockey celebrating in Miami. The FIFA World Cup will be here, alongside momentum from Formula 1 (F1), NASCAR, and the baseball classics.

We’re also building arts and culture through the film festival, book fair, and partnerships with the Adrienne Arsht Center and the Perez Art Museum. We’re seeing companies choose Miami more deeply — moving headquarters here, not just opening an office. That signals long-term, strategic ecosystem development.

One of the accelerators is talent. MDC plays an important role as both an economic engine and workforce engine by giving companies confidence that Miami is more than beaches and weather — it’s a place where founders and entrepreneurs can build, supported by human capital, venture capital, and the broader ecosystem. MDC is a thread connecting many of those elements, including our partnership with FIFA, our contributions to arts and culture, and our role in building Miami’s talent base and economic capital.