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Our History, Tec de Monterrey, 80th anniversary

Our History

History

Tecnológico de Monterrey was founded in 1943 thanks to the vision of Don Eugenio Garza Sada and a group of entrepreneurs who formed a non-profit association called Enseñanza e Investigación Superior, A. C.

Tecnológico de Monterrey is a private, non-profit, independent institution with no political and religious affiliations.

The work of Tecnológico de Monterrey and all its campuses is supported by civil associations made up of a numerous group of outstanding leaders from all over the country who are committed to quality in higher education.

Every year, the board members of these civil associations meet to define the goals that will guide the major decisions which will help Tecnológico de Monterrey to meet its objective of driving the development of communities and the nation.

Tecnológico de Monterrey enjoys the support of the national community, which participates in the raffles organized by the institution itself to expand its scholarship program and investment in infrastructure.

Tecnológico de Monterrey enjoys the status of Free University School, which enables it to function as an educational institution.

These are some of the main events that distinguish our Institution 79 years after the foundation of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Evolution

Tecnológico de Monterrey was founded in 1943 thanks to the vision of Don Eugenio Garza Sada and a group of entrepreneurs who formed a non-profit association called Enseñanza e Investigación Superior, A. C.

Tecnológico de Monterrey is a private, non-profit, independent institution with no political and religious affiliations.

The work of Tecnológico de Monterrey and all its campuses is supported by civil associations made up of a numerous group of outstanding leaders from all over the country who are committed to quality in higher education.

Every year, the board members of these civil associations meet to define the goals that will guide the major decisions which will help Tecnológico de Monterrey to meet its objective of driving the development of communities and the nation.

Tecnológico de Monterrey enjoys the support of the national community, which participates in the raffles organized by the institution itself to expand its scholarship program and investment in infrastructure.

Tecnológico de Monterrey enjoys the status of Free University School, which enables it to function as an educational institution.

These are some of the main events that distinguish our Institution 70 years after the foundation of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

  • BEGINNING

  • GROWTH

  • CONSOLIDATION

  • TRANSFORMATION

Year History
1944 The number of students enrolled at Tecnológico de Monterrey increased from 350 to 452, while the total number of faculty members, all full-time, grew from 14 to 33. This year saw the initiation of extracurricular activities: the first student association was formed, the first basketball and soccer teams were created, and "Onda", the institution’s first magazine, was published.
1945 The students adopted "El Borrego" (The Ram) as their mascot.
1947 The Monterrey Campus was inaugurated with an enrollment of one thousand students. The first undergraduate degrees were awarded to eight students from the BS in Chemical Engineering program. The first raffle, known as Sorteo Tec, was held.
1950 Tecnológico de Monterrey was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), a US accrediting agency.
1954 The Library building was opened and the mural on its façade that has become a symbol of Tecnológico de Monterrey. This mural represents the triumph of culture and work with motifs drawn from pre-Cortés mythology. Later on, the Library building became the Offices of the Presidency of Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Year History
1960 Tecnológico de Monterrey had 4,458 students from 19 countries in America and all the states of Mexico.
1963 At the beginning of this year, the first master’s degree was awarded in the Chemical Sciences specialization. Twenty years after its foundation, Tecnológico de Monterrey began to delve into two educational facets that would be of paramount importance: the use of electronic computers and educational television.
1967 The first campus outside the city of Monterrey was founded: the Guaymas Campus.
1968 This year saw the launch of the first doctoral program: the PhD in Chemistry, specializing in Organic Chemistry.
1973 Two new campuses opened in other Mexican cities: Campus Ciudad de México and Campus Ciudad Obregón.
1974 Campus Saltillo was founded.
1975 Operations started in Campus Eugenio Garza Sada Campus, in Monterrey; and the Laguna, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí Campuses.
1976 The Chihuahua, Estado de México and Irapuato campuses were inaugurated.
1978 Tecnológico de Monterrey now had more than 25 thousand students in 14 units throughout Mexico. The Ignacio A. Santos School of Medicine was opened next to the Hospital San José building. The Campus León became operational.
1980 Personal computers were introduced as a higher education tool in Mexico. The Colima, Chiapas, Guadalajara, Hidalgo and Morelos (nowadays called Cuernavaca) Campuses were opened).
1981 The Central de Veracruz and Tampico Campuses were inaugurated.
1982 Campus Toluca Campus began operating.
1983 The Ciudad Juárez, Mazatlán, Sinaloa and Sonora Norte Campuses began operating.
1985 Campus Zacatecas was inaugurated.
Year History
1986 The mission “to prepare professionals with levels of excellence in their area of specialization” was defined, together with the general statutes. Tecnológico de Monterrey was formally incorporated as a multi-campus educational system with a new organizational structure.
1986 Tecnológico de Monterrey was connected to the international inter-university communication network known as BITNET. The satellite telecommunications network was launched.
1989 The Center for Advanced Technology for Production (CETEC) was opened on the Monterrey Campus. Satellite transmissions were used to teach the Master’s in Education with diverse specializations.
1990 The Center for Strategic Studies (CEE) was created. Courses from the master’s degrees in Business Administration and Computer Studies were transmitted by satellite for Tecnológico de Monterrey faculty, as well as three core courses, related to sociocultural values and professional practice.
Year History
1996

Tecnológico de Monterrey defined its mission toward 2005: To prepare individuals who are committed to the development of their communities; who are internationally competitive in their area of knowledge; and who conduct relevant research and extension studies for the development of Mexico.

  Universidad Virtual was created. Tecnológico de Monterrey offered its academic and continuing education programs in Mexico and Latin America. The Teacher-Learning redesign process begins.
1998 The Aguascalientes Campus was inaugurated. The rule was established that undergraduate students’ social service must benefit the community.
2001 Tecnológico de Monterrey, in conjunction with diverse national and international organizations and foundations, created the Community Learning Centers. Two new campuses began their activities: Campus Cumbres, in Monterrey; and Campus Santa Fe, in Mexico City.
2002 Campus Morelia was inaugurated.
2003 The Campus Puebla was inaugurated. The Graduate School for Public Administration and Public Policy (EGAP) opened with sites on the Ciudad de México, Estado de México and Monterrey Campuses. Tecnológico de Monterrey received the Andrew Heiskell Award 2003-2004, from the United Nations Institute of International Education, in the Outstanding Faculty Program Category.
2004 The Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education (COPAES) of the Mexican Ministry of Education recognized Tecnológico de Monterrey as the institution of higher education with the highest number of academic programs accredited or recognized by national and international organizations. By this year, Tecnológico de Monterrey had a network of 27 Business Incubators. Prepanet activities were launched to offer online high school with some face-to-face activities to people who needed to earn their high school diploma, but, for diverse reasons, were unable to do so. Two new high schools were opened: one in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and the other in Metepec, Estado de México. The Alumni and Friends Philanthropic Network began operating in Monterrey.
2005 A new Tecnológico de Monterrey Vision was defined to be fulfilled in 2015, together with the Mission and strategies that would contribute to the realization of this new vision. Tecnológico de Monterrey was awarded the accolade given by the Ministry of the Economy to institutions who provide outstanding support to the consolidation of the National System of Business Incubation. The Family Business Institute was created and developed through an agreement between the Spanish Enterprise Institute and Tecnológico de Monterrey. The Valle Alto High School began operating in Monterrey.
2007 The Business Accelerator Network began operations. It was created by the Institute for Sustainable Social Development to support society in the areas of education and business creation and development; academic programs in health, nutrition and housing; and professional consulting services.
2008 At the initiative of Tecnológico de Monterrey alumni, the ENLACE E+E Network was created to drive Tecnológico de Monterrey’s business incubators and accelerators. The FEMSA Biotechnology Center was opened at the Monterrey Campus, focusing on three areas: Bioprocess Engineering, Food Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.
2009 With FEMSA’s support, the Strategic Technology Observatory opened its doors to promote business innovation and a spirit of research. Community Learning Centers were created to take quality education to underprivileged and geographically remote communities.
2010

After serving as President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey System for just over 25 years, in June 2010, Dr. Rafael Rangel Sostmann tendered his resignation as President to the Board of Directors.
Los programas de EGADE de los campus Ciudad de México, Monterrey y Santa Fe se constituyen en una escuela nacional única denominadas EGADE Business School.

The EGADE programs at the Mexico City, Monterrey and Santa Fe campuses merged to form a single national school known as EGADE Business School.

2011 As of October 3, Salvador Alva Gómez took over as the new Chancellor of the Tecnológico de Monterrey System. On January 1, David Noel Ramírez Padilla was appointed President of Tecnológico de Monterrey.
2012

The Zambrano Hellion Medical Center was opened in January. This new hospital center seeks to transform private medical practice in Mexico.

The Board of Directors of the Tecnológico de Monterrey System announced the appointment of José Antonio Fernández Carbajal as the new Chairman of the Board, replacing Mr. Lorenzo H. Zambrano Treviño as of February 14. Mr. Fernández Carbajal became the fourth Chairman of the Board, succeeding Eugenio Garza Sada (1943-1973), Eugenio Garza Lagüera (1973-1997) and Lorenzo H. Zambrano Treviño (1997-2012).

The Monterrey Regional Presidency established the Distinguished Professor Emeritus Prize to be awarded on May 15 every year (Teachers’ Day in Mexico). The first professor to receive this honor was the architect José Luis Pineda.

The Latin American Citizenship Institute was created with the aim of replicating the best civic practices of Mexico and Latin America and orientating the entrepreneurial and humanistic capacity of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Tecnológico de Monterrey initiated its transformation to generate cultural change and a process-based approach.

The values that govern the institution’s operations were defined:

  • Innovation
    We generate and realize ideas, break paradigms, take risks and learn from our mistakes.

  • Global outlook
    We live in a global culture and foment diversity.

  • Teamwork
    We foster collaborative work and seek collective success above that of the individual.

  • Sense of humanity
    We respect the dignity of people and act with solidarity.

  • Integrity
    We behave in an ethical manner, and are honest, austere and congruent.
As Tecnológico de Monterrey collaborators, we are committed to complying with the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and making them part of our daily lives and activities.
2013

The Institution announced the new Educational Model Tec21, which will enable the development in future generations of competencies for the leaders of the 21st century. The Model is based on innovative, challenging experiences, spaces for active learning, and faculty who inspire and innovate.

The following changes were announced in the institution: the term “System” would no longer be used; Salvador Alva is now President of Tecnológico de Monterrey; there are now three instead of five regional presidencies: Northern Zone, Central-Southern Zone and Western Zone; three Vice Presidencies were created: High School, Undergraduate, and Research, Graduate and Continuing Education.

The Protein Development Research Center was created.

The Eugenio Garza Sada Institute for Entrepreneurship was founded.

2014

The Federal Government of Mexico honored Tecnológico de Monterrey with the National Entrepreneurship Award.

2014 A formal relationship with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was established in order to grant students and professors access to scholarships and internships for researching projects in their laboratories, centers, and facilites.
2015 Inspiring Professor was born as a distinction to the professors with innovative education in High School and Undergraduate.
2017 David Garza Salazar, formerly Academic Vice Chancellor, became the new Chancellor, replacing David Noel Ramírez Padilla, becoming therefore,Emeritus Chancellor.
2018 QS qualifier recognizes Tec as the best private university in Mexico.

Find out about Eugenio Garza Sada's Life

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