Tec proposes actions for the future at annual board meeting

The Board of Tec de Monterrey has held its annual meeting, at which the institution’s vision to achieve an innovative and sustainable future was raised, and global and nationwide challenges were discussed.

José Antonio Fernández, the Tec’s Chairman of the Board; David Garza, rector and executive president of the Tec; and Tec directors presented the progress made over the past year and the institution’s projects.

Opinion leaders such as former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; Esther Duflo, a Nobel Prize laureate in Economics; and financial journalist Michael Lewis gave speeches in which they shared ideas for facing the challenges of the future.

“We need to become good forefathers, and that means thinking long term. It’s like building a cathedral, and Tec de Monterrey is a cathedral,” Fernández said.

“I appreciate your trust in us. Without you, we couldn’t continue dreaming as big as we wish to and as we have always done,” he added.

Outstanding professors in the Faculty of Excellence initiative

During the Board Meeting, the Faculty of Excellence initiative was explained, the idea of which is for the Tec to integrate exceptional international experts into its programs.

Ignacio de la Vega, executive vice-rector for Academic Affairs, Faculty, and Internationalization, reported that they are looking for 100 teachers by 2026 in this initiative.

De la Vega said that bringing together outstanding students with exceptional professors will have a very positive impact on society.

He stated that four new teachers have already joined, highlighting Raj Sisodia, intellectual leader of the Conscious Capitalism movement; Marc Madou, an expert in miniaturization; Dhruv Grewall, a marketing expert; and Alejandro Echeverri, an urban planner and architect.

The Tec is committed to research

Guillermo Torre, Vice President of Research at the Tec, shared the importance of focusing on solving big problems and working in multidisciplinary environments that provide Tec researchers with greater resources.

“We now have funds from industry and from Tec de Monterrey that give us a very competitive amount of money,” Torre said.

The Vice President of Research also talked about projects such as the Institute for the Future of Education, The Institute for Obesity Research, and the Origen project, which carry out multidisciplinary research in the search for valuable solutions for Mexico and the world.

He also announced the “Leading the way forward” initiative, which will not only carry out initiatives but will also create an innovation district on the Monterrey campus to include projects with governments and enterprises.

Launch of philanthropy program 

Tec de Monterrey announced the launch of the “Intervene in the Future” philanthropy campaign, whose goal is to raise 5 billion pesos in different stages through 2026.

“The highly transformative power that we have as board members means we have a great responsibility. As leaders in Mexico, we need to think about future generations,” said José Antonio Fernández, the Tec’s Chairman of the Board.

“A donation to the Tec is the safest way to make a donation to the country. We aren’t giving it to the Tec; we’re giving it to Mexico,” Fernández added.

David Garza, rector and executive president of the Tec, said that the aim of these contributions is to promote projects along three strategic axes: Exceptional academic talent and social mobility; research, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and environment and community.

Progress made at the Tec over the past year

David Garza, rector and president of Tecnológico de Monterrey, shared his reflections on the institution’s experiences over the past year, highlighting the return to in-person classes.

Garza mentioned that 60% of students are taking classes under the Tec21 Model, focused on challenged-based learning. He also highlighted educational innovation with the Virtual Campus project, a metaverse developed at Tec de Monterrey.

“These initiatives allow us to see our capabilities. I like to say that the Tec is an institution where the impossible becomes possible,” he said.

Juan Pablo Murra, rector of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Tec, highlighted the specialized Living Lab and Data Hub centers, a Hub at the University of Cantabria in Spain, and other spaces such as the Data Science Hub and the Cybersecurity Hub.

“The great legacy of Tec de Monterrey is that of shaping leaders to go out and create companies, to become future academics and future social leaders who are going to solve the great challenges humanity will face,” said Murra.

Brown proposes creating a global network of universities

Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, reflected on how Tec de Monterrey can prepare to face the challenges posed by international changes and continue to be a leading player. 

For Brown, the way to stay relevant has to do with creating a global network of universities, noting that coalitions between schools around the world will allow students to study in different places and thereby enrich their learning experience.

Brown spoke virtually with Alejandro Poiré, dean of Tecnológico de Monterrey’s School of Social Sciences and Government.

Nobel Prize laureate in Economics shares lessons for fighting poverty

Esther Duflo, a French economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019, shared her thoughts on how to navigate these difficult times marked by the pandemic, inequality, climate change, and discrimination.

Duflo called for legitimizing governments and promoting social support programs. She also mentioned that there was less migration due to the pandemic, but social inequality has increased.

Finally, she gave the message that we all share the same planet, and we therefore share the same destiny.

Universities must be society’s guides

Michael Lewis, financial journalist and author of The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, spoke about the role of post-pandemic universities, entrepreneurship, and the importance of data science.

In a conversation with José Antonio Fernández, Chairman of the Board at the Tec, Lewis put the pandemic’s educational problem into context and explained his theory of why anti-vaccine movements exist.

“I think we need to take a look at our education system and what it’s producing because it’s not producing the citizens we need,” he said.

Commitment to sustainability

Inés Sáenz, Vice President of Inclusion, Social Impact, and Sustainability at Tec de Monterrey, said that climate change must be a priority issue at the highest level in companies.

During her speech, she mentioned that the Tec is committed to getting companies to join the fight against climate change.

“Climate change must be on companies’ agendas, and they need to assume responsible leadership at the highest level with a sustainability team that guides corporate decisions.”

TecMilenio: Innovation for social mobility

TecMilenio University has a digital mission to offer courses in distance and hybrid formats that was accelerated by the pandemic, said Bruno Zepeda, rector of the institution.

Zepeda mentioned that this educational institution has established itself as Tec de Monterrey’s largest social mobility project.

He pointed out that TecMilenio has launched the Associate Degree level, which awards degrees in two years, similar to community colleges in the United States, so that students can have access to better job opportunities.

Inauguration of “Spirit of Light” by James Turrell

The architectural work “Spirit of Light” by renowned international artist James Turrell saw its debut during the Board Meeting’s first day of activities.

This skyspace, a structure used as an observatory, is located in the Monterrey campus’ Central Park. This is part of the DistritoTec urban development initiative, a strategy to transform the campus environment and 24 surrounding neighborhoods.

“The progress made at the Tec is incredible. I’ve witnessed this transformation over the past 5 years. The main thing I want to highlight is how much they’ve worked to build this. I’m grateful for what’s been done, and I congratulate them for what they’ve done,” said the artist.

Turrell’s work consists of a structure that uses shades of light to affect the way the sky is perceived from the interior during each sunrise and sunset and seeks to be a space for reflection for its visitors.

The 2022 Board Meeting

The Board Meeting is an annual event, which was held this year from February 20 to 22 in a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 600 leaders followed the meeting’s activities from the Monterrey campus or online.

During the meeting, those board members who had died in the past months were remembered, especially Ramón de la Peña, who was rector of the Monterrey campus for 15 years.

Galia Borja, Claudia Carolina Bárcenas, and Bruno Giesemann were also recognized with the 2022 Tec graduate Lifetime Achievement Award for their careers, leadership, and social contributions.

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