For 10 years, universities in Mexico and the United States have been working together to promote educational programs in both countries via the Puentes Consortium.
Tec de Monterrey hosted a meeting of the The Puentes Consortium, an organization made up of Mexican and United States universities that promotes multidisciplinary research on issues of importance to both countries.
During the March 7 meeting, directors of participating universities and the Puentes Consortium reviewed their progress and reflected on the actions that need to be taken in the future.
“Congratulations to the team which has been working in spite of the pandemic. It’s very exciting to know where we are today in terms of university students,” said David Garza, Rector and Executive President of Tec de Monterrey.
The Puentes Consortium is made up of a group of universities that stand out for their high academic standards, international programs, and research, which seek to promote multidisciplinary research.
Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of the Americas Puebla, and the University of Monterrey are the Mexican institutions which lead the Puentes Consortium, along with the University of Miami and Rice University in the U.S.
Puentes Consortium updates
Some updates from the organization were shared during the online discussion between the rectors and the Puentes Consortium team.
They mentioned that the group had organized around 40 research stays for visiting professors at institutions within the consortium between 2011 and 2021 (with 7 in 2022), which have resulted in around 50 scientific publications.
What’s more, they pointed out that Puentes has created 4 inter-institutional projects between members of the consortium.
Some of the projects corresponding to these bilateral initiatives include Financial Intelligence Units, Affordable Housing, Political Parties in Mexico and Democracy, and New Geographies of Energy in Mexico.
Student participation is also included within the research work carried out by the consortium. As David Garza explained, the inclusion of students is a necessity which the group had contemplated in the past.
“Congratulations to the team which has been working in spite of the pandemic.” - David Garza
On this point, the Puentes Consortium team announced virtual international research experiences for university students.
They highlighted that 10 students have worked together on an international research program, developing scientific publications while being supervised by consortium professors on various topics:
- Geopolitics and COVID
- Border issues due to gasoline demand
- The impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the future of the Mexican automotive industry; to name but a few.
“Puentes has brought students together for the past 10 years and will continue working to do so.
“The pandemic is definitely not going to stop us, and I think we have great things ahead of us,” said Ivonne Cruz, Program Administrator at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Talking about future challenges
The directors shared some reflections regarding future challenges for the Puentes Consortium.
David Leebron, President of Rice University, pointed out that migration is an important issue now and will be in the future. Work must therefore be done to find solutions to the issue.
Some of the other issues raised by directors of the institutions were supply chains, democracy, and climate change.
“Northern Mexico and the southern United States face water supply problems. Some cities have problems, and it’s an important issue to resolve.
“Lessons learned during the pandemic mean we will also have to think about which things we must restart from scratch, which to rebuild, and which to restore. It’ll be interesting for Mexican and U.S. universities,” said David Garza.
Also participating in the visit were Mario Páez González, Rector of the University of Monterrey, and Julio Frenk, President of the University of Miami.
Also present were Cecilia Anaya Berríos, interim rector of the University of the Americas Puebla, and the operating committee of the Puentes Consortium, who indicated that they will continue their efforts.
“You’ve made a great effort and I want to congratulate you for what you’ve done and for continuing to work through the pandemic,” Leebron said.
“I’m grateful that the programs work, although there’s still a lot of work to be done to spread the word about the consortium,” added Cecilia Anaya.
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