“My students are my heroes. Just like so many of you in the audience, they’re working, raising families and going to school,” Biden told the crowd of students.

Miami Dade College awards more associate degrees to Hispanic and Black students than any other college in the nation. It opened in the 1960s amid the strain of desegregation and the influx of thousands of Cuban refugees. Currently, 66 percent of the school’s students are Hispanic; another 21 percent are Black. Miami Dade College President Eduardo J. Padrón was recently selected chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the first Hispanic to hold the key post.

Like most schools of its kind around the country, Miami Dade is staggering from unprecedented numbers flocking to its classrooms. They include adults heading back to college to learn new skills in today’s tough job market and younger students choosing the cheaper route of community college over a four-year university. With a 15 percent enrollment increase in the past two years, the school now has 167,000 students spread out over eight campuses.

“You can see the growth, especially on the suburban campuses,” said the college’s spokesman, Juan C. Mendieta. “You see cars all over, on the track field and grass. In the morning and evenings, we are absolutely slammed.”

At the same time, the state has cut $35 million from Miami Dade College’s budget. As a result, class sizes are creeping up. The school has eliminated 1,000 class sections in the past year, limiting student access to courses. Several programs, including one that trained midwives, have been shut down.

The college is asking the Florida Legislature to pass a bill that would give Miami-Dade County voters the chance to approve a half-penny temporary sales tax to help maintain the school’s open-door policy.