Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

The Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey, known as Tecnológico de Monterrey, or simply the "Tec," is a multi-campus university system founded in 1943 by a group of Monterrey industrialists and businessmen led by Eugenio Garza Sada. The primary goal of the institute, which was modeled on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was to create a culture of entrepreneurship and provide professionals for local enterprises. It is considered among the most prestigious Latin American institutions of higher technical education. It is a private, independent, nonprofit institution, not related to any political party or religious group, and operates under the statute of a free university.

The work of the institute and of all of its campuses throughout Mexico is supported by civil associations made up of leaders from all parts of the country who are committed to quality in higher education. It offers a Virtual University system that has been in operation since 1989 and has consolidated itself as a pioneering institution in distance education. The institute offers programs of study at the upper secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels and in research and development. It has thirty-three campuses and international offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Tecnológico de Monterrey is considered one of the first serious users of the Internet in Mexico and also a pioneer in the use of wireless technologies among Mexican enterprises. These technologies have been extensively used to facilitate online education throughout the campuses. In 1950 the institute was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools of the United States.

See alsoInternet; Universities: The Modern Era.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. Available from http://www.itesm.mx.

Rudolf, James D., ed. Mexico: A Country Study. Foreign Area Studies, the American University. 3rd edition. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1985.

                           Claudia Carballal Benaglio