Continuing Education Legend Retires After 37 Years At Kendall Campus
For nearly four decades, Max Rodriguez served as a pillar in the Continuing Education department at Kendall Campus.
Rodriguez, a lanky, rail-thin, ball of kinetic energy, was often seen in button-down dress shirts with conservative ties—or simple polos if the occasion merited it—quick to lend a helping hand.
Whether it was hosting summer camps, golf tournaments, United Way drives or his beloved Mexican Independence Day celebration, which he willed into a yearly event that now attracts hundreds of visitors to the campus—Max was always there.
After 37 years at Miami Dade College, the respected community staple is ready to make his grand exit.
On June 28, the 77-year-old is stepping down as a program manager at MDC, leaving behind a massive footprint of humble service.
“I would always [ask] Max if he opened and closed the College because every time [I got here], Max was walking from one place to another. I would leave and Max was still there,” said Yaqueline Padron, a campus solution support analyst at MDConnect, who met Rodriguez when she was working in advisement. “Sometimes, if I would go to events at night, I would see Max and I was like, ‘Do you, like, ever go home?’”
Oftentimes, Rodriguez was seen zipping around campus in his Miami Dade College-issued golf cart, offering rides, checking on students and dishing out sage advice to whoever needed it.
“You would see him during summer camps on his golf cart, going from building R to building 5, which are opposite corners of the campus, enjoying the kids in summer camp,” said Nora Cooper, director of MDConnect Campus Solutions team. “They all knew him, loved seeing him, the high fives he would give the kids as they arrived.”
Last Wednesday, dozens of Rodriguez’s friends and family—including his daughter Paulina— and College President Madeline Pumariega, huddled into Room K-413 at Kendall Campus to celebrate his legacy.
Rodriguez, who was decked out in a black blazer, blue dress shirt and maroon tie, was serenaded by a mariachi band as people munched on empanadas, croquetas and ham and cheese sandwiches while trading hugs and their favorite Max memories.
“This is something that we owe him after all his years that he put into the College,” said Nelson Royo, program manager for the Continuing Workforce Education, who first met Rodriguez as a student in the mid-80s.
Rodriguez made his way to Miami from Mexico in 1986 when the bank he worked for—Banco de Comercio—opened a branch in Florida.
A year later, the bank’s financial issues forced Rodriguez to move on. He sought refuge at MDC.
Rodriguez was hired as a part-time outreach coordinator in the Continuing Education department. He oversaw the operations of more than 15 night-time language classes.
A year later, Rodriguez was tabbed as a project director, overseeing budgets and grants. The following year, he became an assistant coordinator, organizing night-time classes at an outreach center in Hammocks Middle School.
In 1989, Rodriguez was promoted to assistant to the associate dean before becoming program manager of Continuing Education in 1993, where he became heavily involved in fundraising and campus activities.
Some of his marquee events include: an annual golf tournament that has raised thousands of dollars and featured celebrities like Cuban pitching legend and four-time World Series Champion Orlando “El Duque” Hernández, the Wild Things Happen summer camp, and Rodriguez’s signature event—the Mexican Independence Day celebration—that unites hundreds in the community over food, games and raffles.
“I just want to say thank you,” Rodriguez said. “I spent more time here than with my family. This is my second family.”
Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.
