U.S. State Department Establishes Outpost At College
The U.S. Department of State established a Media Hub of the Americas at Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower.
The government agency inaugurated the space on Jan. 28 and is using the hub to conduct a number of activities including interviews, meetings and other official business.
“For us as an institution, we feel very, very privileged because it’s an opportunity for our students to have access to the people that are making history,” said Miami Dade College President, Eduardo Padrón.
The hub will offer what College officials are calling an ideal location to engage the Spanish and Portuguese-language media in Latin America and host foreign dignitaries.
“As a Wolfson Campus student and International Studies Major, this is one of the best opportunities,” said Daniela Rangel, an Honors College Student at Wolfson Campus. “The Freedom Tower is perfect because it represent that American story of the struggle of immigration, settlement, hope and the pursuit of happiness for the American Dream.”
The building was constructed in 1925 as a home for The Miami News and was modeled after the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. The National Historic Landmark is striking in its architectural detail with its octagonal tower and richly ornamented facade. Most notably in its history, MDC’s Freedom Tower was operated by the U.S. government as a reception center for Cuban refugees from 1962 to 1974. The building is significant because it represents the important story of the Cuban exodus to America and resettlement during the Cold War. For that reason the Freedom Tower is also called the “Ellis Island of the South.”
In 2012 Miami Dade College established the MDC Museum of Art + Design, a 15,000 square foot exhibition space on the second floor of the Freedom Tower and relocated administrative offices of Miami International Film Festival and MDC Live Arts to form a fully operational cultural center in downtown Miami.
The Miami Herald reported negotiations for the State Department Media Hub had been almost three years in the making. Officials say the hub will provide opportunities for students to interact with the international dignitaries who will come through the Freedom Tower.
“I believe that it’s a great way to set up a platform here in Miami for that cross cultural dialogue,” said Wolfson Campus student Aaron Williams. “It’s the ideal location for this to happen because we are so diverse here in Miami already. It will be the perfect place for that representation of what diversity looks like and how many cultures can coexist and thrive.”
