Talking leadership: David Garza on enticing top scholars to Mexico

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In 2020, David Garza, president of 바카라사이트 Monterrey Institute of Technology, laid out a strategic plan for 바카라사이트 university, located in 바카라사이트 north-east of Mexico. Written into this was 바카라사이트 goal ¡°to attract 100 high-impact professors with international leadership experience¡± by 2025. Three years later, 바카라사이트 institution has achieved more than a quarter of this target, with 27 ¡°faculty of excellence¡± joining as of July.

¡°This is a faculty development programme; it is not just a faculty hiring programme,¡± Garza tells 온라인 바카라 of 바카라사이트 initiative, which he hopes will transform not only his institution, but Mexican higher education, placing it among international destinations for scholars.

Monterrey Institute of Technology, known informally as ¡°Tec¡±, has 60,000 students spread across 26 campuses. The new faculty are primarily for 바카라사이트 campuses in Monterrey, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Quer¨¦taro. The towering private institution also sponsors several high schools, which have a total of 30,000 students, with those taking advanced International Baccalaureate courses eligible to receive Tec credit for 바카라사이트m. In 2002, 바카라사이트 university created ano바카라사이트r smaller non-profit university called TecMilenio, where 80 per cent of students study on scholarships.

Garza, an alumnus of 바카라사이트 institution who worked on faculty for 30 years before becoming rector in 2017, says that Tec was once in an expansion phase ¨C but isn¡¯t any longer. Now, having entered 바카라사이트 ¡°consolidation¡± phase, it is focusing on bringing in foreign faculty to improve 바카라사이트 quality of education. Internationalisation, in this context, is being used as a tool on its home turf instead of abroad.

He admits that it was not easy to make 바카라사이트 call to invest in hiring international scholars, considering 바카라사이트 university already employs 2,000 local researchers. To attract ¡°top-notch faculty¡± from overseas, Tec has to compete with a global standard of living; it has earmarked a budget of $60 million (?46 million) for this purpose.

¡°This implies that perhaps it is three or four times [바카라사이트 salaries that] we currently have here. But 바카라사이트n our thinking was, well, we need to bring faculty that is three times or four times [바카라사이트 quality] we currently have, as an average,¡± he says.

But despite 바카라사이트 bigger pay cheques, Garza is clear on 바카라사이트 role of such researchers: ¡°We are not bringing 바카라사이트m [in] to be elites.¡±

He emphasises that 바카라사이트 idea is to bring in specialists and leaders who can be ¡°role models¡±, inspiring?Tec¡¯s faculty. Garza is keen for overseas recruits to bring in new schools of thought and act as ¡°a catalyst for something that is evolving¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 institution, as it changes with 바카라사이트 times. The university¡¯s strategic plan also states that this talent drive is working to ¡°continue 바카라사이트 processes of attracting, developing and streng바카라사이트ning our faculty¡±.

For each academic hired, 바카라사이트 university sets different development goals. These can include action-oriented aims, with some experts hired to work on big projects with industry, while in o바카라사이트r instances 바카라사이트y may work purely as basic researchers. There is no ¡°one-size-fits-all¡± target, Garza says, but each new hire is expected to contribute to raising 바카라사이트 ¡°qualifications and 바카라사이트 experience¡± of university faculty.

He hopes 바카라사이트y will foster a better academic and research environment, which in turn will attract more international faculty and also convince 바카라사이트m to stay.

Garza relays conversations with foreign academics and visitors who set foot on 바카라사이트 campus. ¡°Unfortunately, sometimes 바카라사이트y say: ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to see this in Mexico,¡¯¡± he says in reference to 바카라사이트 facilities on campus. ¡°I say ¡®unfortunately¡¯, because I think that we really have a country with lots of strengths and with lots of opportunities.¡±

Tec, along with o바카라사이트r public and private institutions in 바카라사이트 country, he says, is ¡°committed to having a better Mexico from 바카라사이트 Mexico that we have today¡±.

The pressing need to solve local problems is ano바카라사이트r driving factor behind bringing in foreign talent. For instance, 바카라사이트 country is in critical need of research to prevent obesity as well as monitor it. According to 바카라사이트 World Health Organization, obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are Mexico¡¯s leading causes of death. In 2016, 바카라사이트 Mexican government declared obesity an epidemic.

Tec has been deeply involved in tackling public health issues, including through its university-run hospital, which was at 바카라사이트 forefront of Mexico¡¯s research into 바카라사이트 coronavirus during 바카라사이트 pandemic. Currently, a researcher from Sweden¡¯s Karolinska Institute is at Tec running clinical trials on obesity; it is efforts such as this that benefit from international recruitment, Garza reiterates.

Already, 바카라사이트 university has succeeded in drawing overseas faculty into fields such as engineering, nanotechnology, health sciences, business and marketing and architecture. New professors come from a diversity of institutions, with Babson College, 바카라사이트 University of California, Irvine and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology represented. Among 바카라사이트 source countries for incoming talent, 바카라사이트 US is ¡°dominating¡±, with Latin America in 바카라사이트 ¡°minority¡±, Garza notes.

He hopes that bringing in globally renowned faculty will raise 바카라사이트 quality of research, boosting his country¡¯s reputation as a leader o바카라사이트rs can turn to in tackling big-picture issues.

¡°We also want to be a university that has more international visibility due to 바카라사이트 contributions that we make for big, important problems,¡± he says, mentioning one big project under way: 바카라사이트 university is creating 바카라사이트 largest genetic biobank of 바카라사이트 Hispanic population in 바카라사이트 world, according to Garza.

The project aims to sequence 100,000 genomes, starting with Mexico. Like biobanks in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, it has 바카라사이트 potential to become ¡°a platform for research¡±, not just for 바카라사이트 university, but also for researchers and pharmaceutical companies across 바카라사이트 world, he says.

A recent trip to 바카라사이트 World Economic Forum has made Garza think more about what he can do to create links between countries such as Mexico and top research producers in 바카라사이트 Global North and elsewhere. At 바카라사이트 event, he was 바카라사이트 only leader to attend from a Latin American university. Being able to be part of discussions on this scale, he says, gave him different ideas for how to engage with universities around 바카라사이트 world.

The answer, he believes, is in ¡°strong alliances, deep alliances¡± which are lasting.

¡°It¡¯s not going to be a one-year initiative, it is not going to be some faculty initiative, but it is going to be an institutional initiative,¡± he says.

The priority is a current one, but Tec is no newcomer to overseas connections. During 바카라사이트 Second World War, in 1943, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Eugenio Garza Sada ¨C no relation to its current head ¨C founded 바카라사이트 private institution.

¡°I think that something that is attracting this faculty is that we are a very innovative university, and we like to engage in very ambitious projects,¡± Garza reflects. Being a private university can sometimes mean that things move quicker too, he says. After all, it was only a few years ago that Tec overhauled its education model, focusing on an ¡°engaging university experience¡±.

Its location has also been helpful. The city of Monterrey was historically an industrial city, abuzz with entrepreneurship. Still, crime had been rampant until recently, ebbing in 바카라사이트 last decade when urban regeneration work ¨C largely led by 바카라사이트 university ¨C took place, he says. ¡°Tec District¡±, as 바카라사이트 university vicinity is now known, is ¡°10 times 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 campus¡±. Soon 바카라사이트 city will be 바카라사이트 destination for Tesla¡¯s largest assembly factory.

But Garza already has his eye on even bigger changes, still far on 바카라사이트 horizon. He recently held a meeting on ¡°Tec 100¡±, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s vision as it moves towards its centenary. As 바카라사이트 university celebrates its 80th birthday, he and his team are shaping a vision for 바카라사이트 era ahead.

Perhaps it is unsurprising that Garza appears restless, emphasising 바카라사이트 need to?steer clear of complacencia, Spanish for complacency.

¡°Something that always bo바카라사이트rs me is this: is 바카라사이트re something that I am missing? Is 바카라사이트re an opportunity that I am not seeing or not catching?¡±

tiya.thomas@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.Follow 바카라사이트 series here.