Tec-Rice University Alliance: Boosting student mobility

Tec de Monterrey and Texas’s Rice University have signed a collaboration agreement to promote research, mobility of undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC), and Continuing Education programs.

David Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec, and Reginald DesRoches, President of Rice University, met at the Monterrey campus to formalize the cooperation agreement.

“More than ever, the challenges we face in the world today require collaboration. We need to cooperate locally to solve many of these global challenges. We’re very excited about this agreement,” said Garza.

DesRoches said, “When we talk about leadership, we’re looking for really strategic, deep, and important relationships. We expect this agreement to be very important for both institutions. We’re very excited about these future opportunities.”

The signing ceremony was also attended by executives from both institutions, including Juan Pablo Murra, Rector for Higher Education at the Tec, and Amy Dittmar, Provost of Rice University.

Agreement for student mobility

The cooperation between the two institutions includes concurrent degrees for graduate programs, internships for undergraduate students, and collaboration for Continuing Education.

Jaime Bonilla, Associate Dean of Internationalization at EIC, explained the programs that are part of the collaboration agreement to CONECTA:

- Concurrent Ph.D. degree

Through this collaboration agreement, students who enroll in a doctoral program at EIC will be able to receive credit for courses from their graduate degree toward a second doctoral degree at Rice University.

Students will be able to do research stays at Rice University that will help them complete their doctorate at the Tec. These activities will be credited toward a concurrent doctorate at the Texas university.

“They give us credit for some of the subjects, and students who finish their doctorate here (at the Tec) can then do their doctorate at Rice University in an area that complements their education or enriches their research,” Bonilla explained.

For both degrees, students will be advised by professors from both universities.

- Joint master’s degree and internship

Additionally, there will be collaboration through the Master’s Degree in Engineering Management, where Tec students will be able to receive credit for subjects to complete the master’s degree at Rice University.

Bonilla, who is also Dean of Continuing Education at EIC, said students will have the advantage of an internship in a company in the United States as part of their final master’s project.

“In this case, students can do all of their master’s degree with us or do part of it and receive credit for subjects to finish that master’s degree at Rice University,” he added.

“More than ever, the challenges we face in the world require collaboration.” - David Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec.

- Undergraduate stays at Rice University

Through this agreement, undergraduate students will be able to do short research stays lasting 10 weeks at Rice University.

Short research stays are planned to take place in the last third of the February-June semester, as well as during the summer.

“They occur during five weeks of the semester and five weeks of the summer. The stays are for undergraduate students in their sixth or seventh semester, and there will be an open call for applications,” he added.
 

- Also seeking to collaborate in Continuing Education

Bonilla added that the collaboration agreement will allow the Tec and Rice University to collaborate and join forces to create Continuing Education options.

The Tec will work together with the Sussane M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University, he said.

He said that although it will start with EIC, this agreement will seek to create spaces for cooperation with other Tec schools.

“Collaborative work is being explored with different Tec schools. We’re still defining what the first areas of interaction will be,” he added.

Regarding the benefits of this agreement, Bonilla pointed out that it multiplies the institution’s capabilities, increases the international collaboration of professors, and is mainly aimed at providing more possibilities for Tec students.

“The most important thing about this agreement is that we have a relationship with one of the most important universities in the United States. In this way, we can expand the talent that a Tec student can benefit from,” said Bonilla.

Feniosky Peña, Dean of EIC, pointed out that this agreement is also important in terms of bringing Tec de Monterrey and Rice University closer together.

“Both institutions are very similar in thinking, in vision and approach, in their commitment to developing the best experience for students, and in global impact and aspirations in terms of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship,” the Dean said.

He added that the Tec has many professors at present who have been taught at Rice University, as well as graduates of the institution who continue their education at this Texas university.

Synergy to enhance education and research

The presidents highlighted the partnership at the meeting, which was also attended by executives such as vice presidents, rectors, and deans of both institutions who witnessed the signing of the agreement.

Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec, noted that the collaboration with Rice University has been going on for several decades, and he now sees this agreement as an opportunity to enhance research and university education.

“Rice University puts a lot of emphasis on the quality of university education and research, which is something we at the Tec share with you,” Garza said.

“We consider our undergraduate programs a jewel we always want to find a way to leverage so we can provide the best education for our students and bring them into contact with research,” he added.

“We’re looking for really strategic, deep, and important relationships. We expect this agreement to be very important for both institutions.” - Reginald DesRoches, President of Rice University

Garza said he hopes to see faculty from both institutions working together to strengthen and amplify the impact of research activity and innovation.

The President of Rice University also pointed out that both universities share a desire to improve education and research.

“We want to grow our research over the next few years and, as President Garza mentioned, keep university education a jewel as we grow our research,” DesRoches said.

“One way to do that is to partner with institutions around the world that we believe we have synergy with, top institutions like Tec de Monterrey,” added the Rice University President.

Rice University executives tour the Tec

The Rice University delegation, accompanied by the Tec’s directors on their visit to the institution, toured several areas of the Monterrey campus to learn about innovation initiatives and areas.

They visited the Rectory mural, “Microcosms and Macrocosms,” designed by Jorge González Camarena, and the Emerging Educational Technologies Laboratory (Mostla), where they were introduced to innovations such as telepresence technology.

What’s more, they were shown the distritotec model, BiblioTEC spaces, and laboratories at the Protein Research and Development Center and the FEMSA Biotechnology Center.

There, they were able to meet Tec faculty members, researchers, and leaders of research groups in areas such as Genomics, Nanotechnology, Energy, Water, and Robotics.

During the meetings, the Rice University delegation also attended a performance by folk dance group “Raíces” at the Luis Elizondo Auditorium.

The signing of the collaboration agreement took place on October 9 at the Center for Advanced Production Technology (CETEC) on the Monterrey campus.

READ ALSO: