Tec rector speaks at Rice University about key issues for Mexico-USA

“Strengthening the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States will help both countries create world-class cities,” said David Garza, Rector and Executive President of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

He shared this opinion at Mexico Country Outlook 2024, an event organized by the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University, which aims to help entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, opinion leaders, and academics to understand the economic, political, and business environment of Mexico.

Opening the event, Garza spoke about the opportunities for binational collaboration from a higher education perspective.

“Tec de Monterrey is an example of successful collaboration and influence from the United States.

“Our founder (Eugenio Garza Sada) studied at MIT and was inspired by his time there: he returned to Mexico and proposed how to influence its development through high-impact education,” Garza emphasized.

During his talk, the rector and executive president of the Tec provided an overview of the institution, sharing that it has a presence in 32 cities in 20 Mexican states.

He also addressed how universities can respond to global trends and challenges, such as artificial intelligence, Web3, the Metaverse, migration, climate change, and the transition to a green economy, to name but a few.

When discussing binational opportunities and challenges, Garza delved into topics such as:

• Increasing student mobility in both countries.
• Providing solutions to climate change, and jointly working to resolve problems such as water scarcity.
• Supporting and understanding the needs of the Hispanic population in the United States.
• Jointly developing innovation ecosystems.
• Leveraging AI to power jobs of the future.

Tec de Monterrey-Rice University collaboration

Carlos Lugo, international relations manager, highlighted that “universities function as bridges to build bilateral relationships and address future challenges by generating talent.”

The invitation from the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University is a response to that, Lugo said.

He emphasized that collaboration between Tec de Monterrey and Rice University has led to programs allowing students from both institutions to develop their professional skills. He listed some examples, such as:

1. Developing the joint Doctorate in Nanotechnology.
2. Creating the joint Master’s Degree in Engineering Management.
3. Offering (undergraduate) research stays.
4. Delivering joint continuing education programs.
5. The “Nearshoring Opportunities in the Semiconductor Industry in North America” project.
6. The Puentes Consortium, a program which promotes multidisciplinary research on topics of importance to the relationship between both countries.

About the Mexico Country Outlook event

This is the fifth Mexico Country Outlook event, which is organized by the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, which belongs to the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

During the day, participants analyzed the challenges facing Mexico and their impact on binational relations between the United States and Mexico.

In addition to David Garza, experts from both countries discussed Mexico’s political, economic, business, and public security landscapes.

Each year, the audience includes business leaders and investors, policymakers, academics, and students interested in public policy issues in Mexico and those affecting the binational relationship.

Attendees are given early access to the Mexico Country Outlook report, the flagship publication of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico.

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