Immortalized: Tec unveils statues honoring its professors

“How can we permanently recognize the transcendent work of our professors? That’s a question we’re constantly asking ourselves. For a long time, we’ve been saying, ‘There should be a place on all our campuses where everyone realizes and recognizes that Tec de Monterrey is the Tec thanks to its professors.’”

This is what David Garza, Rector and Executive President of Tecnológico de Monterrey, said on May 15, 2023, prior to the unveiling of the bronze statues representing the institution’s faculty members.

The Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Puebla, Mexico City, and State of México campuses are the first to exhibit two life-size statues of a male and a female professor, each sitting on a bench so that students and visitors can get up close to them.

“[Through these statues] it’s possible that someday, even though we will no longer be here, our family and friends will visit our campuses and see each one of you in these statues [...] and most importantly be able to recognize your passion and enthusiasm for transforming lives,” said Garza.

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The life-size bronze statues were handcrafted using a technique known as lost-wax casting and the statue concept was based on real data from various Tec professors, with the faces configured through artificial intelligence.

One significant detail of these statues is a book they hold containing a message from Eugenio Garza Sada himself, the founder of Tec de Monterrey: “Everything you are and can possess is an opportunity to offer this to others and an opportunity to serve.”

“Starting this year, we’re working on having statues of our professors on all our campuses. We began with six campuses, and we’ll roll it out over the years until we have them on all our campuses,” said Garza.

Permanent recognition of Tec professors

These statues aim to be a constant reminder of the importance of the vocation and work of the Tec’s professors, said Victor Gutiérrez, Rector of Operations at the Tec, in an interview.

“This aims to be a permanent tribute, reminding us of our professors at all times, which is why they will be physically located on each of the campuses in a special place.

“It’s a permanent reminder for the Tec community of the important role that the professors play in the process of educating our students,” said Gutierrez.

The guidance provided by faculty goes beyond sharing their knowledge, emphasized the Rector of Operations.

“They’re the ones who, at the end of the day, are in the classrooms and academic spaces, interacting with our students on a daily basis, achieving this process of transformation not only in knowledge but also in skills.

“Many times, the professors are the ones who are close to the young people and provide support for different aspects of their lives, having an impact beyond the academic one.”

The idea of a tribute to professors came up several years ago, around the celebration of the institution’s 75th anniversary, said Gutiérrez.

“This initiative began about six years ago by looking for a way to somehow honor and commemorate our professors,” he said.

Now a reality, this tribute to professors joins the celebrations held to mark the 80th Anniversary of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

“This tribute aims to be a permanent reminder of our professors.”- Victor Gutierrez, Rector of Operations at the Tec

A tribute and meeting point

The Tec’s Rector of Operations emphasized that the statues of the professors are placed in special and emblematic places for each campus with the intention of them becoming a meeting point for the Tec community.

“We want it to become a place where Tec graduates, their families, or students can sit and have their picture taken, so there should be something in the background that’s also very representative of the campus,” Gutiérrez explained.

He added that the statues were built in a way that allows people to sit next to them and appear to be reading the book they are holding in their hands, so that they can take a souvenir photograph.

The executive said he hoped that professors receive this tribute in a positive way and interpret it as a message that aims to express how important and relevant they are to the institution.

“For the first time, we’re going to have something physical, tangible, and visual about what the professors mean to the institution. We wanted it to be interactive because that’s the dynamic role of support and guidance that we see in them,” added Gutiérrez.

Handcrafted monument to Tec professors

The statues were created by a family of plastic artists who have been working on projects like this since 1988, said Alejandro Fuentes Quezada, sculptor of the monuments.

His father, Alejandro Fuentes Gil, even worked on the sculpture of a sheep that was used to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the institution three decades ago.

The statues were cast in bronze using a technique known as lost-wax casting, while 3D scanners with laser technology were used to digitize the image of the professors, said Fuentes Quezada.

“We arrived at this version of the professors by digitizing real professors. Based on that digitization, we were then able to create a unique sculptural concept to represent them,” he said. “We had a very nice session where we met about ten professors.”

At the same time, the faces of the statues were developed by taking features from different professors in order to define those of the statues.

In this session, the sculptor was able to talk with the professors and learn about their passions and motivations, which helped him to capture those emotions in his work.

The statues are intended to be faithful to the image of the professors, so they were cast in bronze with life-size dimensions and approximate weights of 90 and 120 kilograms for the female and male professor, respectively.

“In previous projects that we’ve worked on, we found that people embrace these kinds of statues, making them part of the daily routine of the places. We hope that these statues will be a lovely gift for the professors on the Tec’s 80th anniversary,” he said.

Unveiling on six campuses

Statues of the professors were unveiled at the Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Puebla, Mexico City, and Estado de México campuses as part of the celebrations for Teachers’ Day 2023 and the Tec’s 80th Anniversary.

“You [professors] are a source of pride for Tecnológico de Monterrey. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have all these achievements that we are proud to celebrate today, on our 80th Anniversary, with all these legacies that transcend,” said Garza during the ceremony at the Monterrey campus.

The Rector and Executive President of the Tec invited professors to be proud of their work and to leave legacies that transcend in the lives of the young people they teach.

“Let’s enjoy each month of our anniversary, heading into September, where we’ll have many surprises such as this one, which is to permanently recognize your transcendent work.

“[Through these statues], it’s possible that even though we’ll no longer be here, someday, family and friends will visit our campuses and see each one of you and all that you have contributed during your time at Tec de Monterrey in these statues. The most important contribution you have made has been your passion and enthusiasm for transforming lives,” said Garza.

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