Rector summarizes COVID-19 challenges faced by Tec

David Garza, rector and executive president of Tec de Monterrey, presented the Tec’s board members with an overview of the pandemic-related challenges that the institution has had to face and how it has done so.

During the annual meeting with members of the Tec’s national and local boards, which on this occasion was held virtually, Garza recalled that the Tec was the first university in Mexico to suspend in-person classes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also recalled that, although he formally took office on July 1, the Board of Directors had given him authority to make executive decisions and begin to assemble a team that would face the new challenges from May onwards.

“In May, the Board of Directors delegated the executive decisions to me so we could be focused, as part of the transition, while Salvador Alva was still reporting to the board.

“That allowed me to put together a very talented team that could help with our future plans,” he added.

Garza highlighted 7 key areas that the institution has been focusing on in the last few months.

1. Protecting the health of the Tec community.
2. Guaranteeing high-quality academic continuity.
3. Promoting collaboration, empathy, and timely and transparent communication.
4. Supporting students’ families.
5. Modeling future scenarios.
6. Making the Tec’s capabilities available to the public.
7. Managing the Tec’s financial resources responsibly.

“In-person education will continue to be important, but it will become multimodal, synchronous, or asynchronous.”

Some of the activities undertaken by the institution as a result of the pandemic were to give more than 1.3 million online classes and to create a fund of more than 420 million pesos to support student families.

Garza also recognized the work done by TecSalud in caring for patients with COVID and participating in research projects.

He also said that, despite the pandemic, the Tec21 Educational Model had continued to be successful with methods of instruction adapted for online learning and challenges including more than 300 participating training partners.

The Tec’s rector and president also shared his vision for the post-covid era. For example, he mentioned the importance of multiple methods of instruction in order to widen education.

“We have the wonderful opportunity to reach audiences that we weren’t able to reach before. In-person education will continue to be important, but it will be multimodal, synchronous, or asynchronous.

“We’re also going to evolve towards micro-credentials, short diploma courses, which enable people to show that they have certain skills. We’re going to develop the concept of Free Flow, in which you can come and go at different times, even when it comes to students graduating,” he explained.

The Tec has given more than 1.3 million remote classes since the pandemic began.

International Speakers at the Tec’s Board Meeting

The Annual Board Meeting brings together all the members of national and local boards from the Tec’s campuses to find out how the institution is doing and to hear internationally renowned visionary speakers.

In the morning, Tec de Monterrey’s Chairman of the Board, José Antonio Fernández, spoke to Israeli philosopher and writer Yuval Noah about future challenges for humanity.

Additionally, Thomas Friedman, the prominent New York Times journalist and columnist and winner of several Pulitzer prizes, shared his geopolitical analysis of the contemporary world with Alejandro Poiré, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Government.

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