U.S. - Mexico: University Partnerships for Prosperity

I want to thank Governor Ramírez in particular for being with us. He is a good person who has done good things for the State of Jalisco. And given that Guadalajara has so many attractions, businesses, and excellent facilities, this city is the capital of conferences in Mexico. So, there is no way that the Governor can attend all the conferences he is invited to inaugurate. Thank you, Governor Ramírez, for honoring us with your presence.

In 2001, Presidents Fox and Bush launched the Partnership for Prosperity between Mexico and the United States towards working to find solutions for common problems in development and to promote widespread economic prosperity. Since then, USAID’s TIES program on training, exchanges, internships, and scholarships has been a core part of the efforts of this Partnership.

The 37 currently active partnerships involve joint collaboration, projects, faculty exchanges, and research between institutions in 37 Mexican States and 14 U.S. States.

I have referred to these vibrant university partnerships supported by the TIES program as “those which set the example of the convergence” between our two countries. This convergence produces much more than just partnerships on paper; it generates concrete results.

Concrete results in terms of environmental conservation, the control of infectious diseases, the improvement of public health, efficient energy, and the development of trade and business, including microenterprises, which have been the motor for job creation and economic growth in the United States and other countries throughout the world.

The TIES partnership between the University of Texas-San Antonio and the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, in support of small business development in Jalisco, has brought about the creation of a network of 32 small business development centers throughout Mexico which provide the necessary knowledge and expertise to be competitive in the Mexican market.

The partnerships under the TIES program have also established joint study programs in which students from both countries can receive a very enriching educational experience and training from the Mexican and U.S. institutions.

For example, Texas Christian University and the Universidad de las Américas en Puebla have established a dual program for students of both countries who take classes in international business.

The TIES partnerships have also meant improvement in the area of environmental technology:

A partnership between Lamar University and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in collaboration with the Technological Institute of Saltillo is training Mexicans in the area of water treatment. The partnership has resulted in the development of two Mexican patented applications and bilateral operations between Kesilco, a water treatment company based in Texas, and Ecolimpio, an environmental waste management company.

A key element of the competitiveness of any country is its workforce. The TIES partnership between the Monterrey Institute of Technology and my alma mater, Southern Methodist University, involving information and communications technology is better preparing people on both sides of the border to be able to compete globally in the area of state-of-the-art technology.

These are just some examples of the 37 partnerships under the TIES program. I hope to hear much more about the concrete results that each of these partnerships produces.

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to announce 9 additions to the TIES higher education partnership community.

And the winners are:

1. El Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas and The Ohio State University

University Partnership to Build Rural and Microfinance Capacity in Mexico

2. La Universidad de Guanajuato and the Southwestern School of Law

Creating the Foundations for Criminal Procedure Reform: Training Professors and Lawyers as Lawyers and to Teach Advocacy

3. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur and Colorado State University

An Integrated Partnership for the Improvement of Parks and Protected Areas Management in Chiapas and Oaxaca

4. El Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey/Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo- Estudios Rurales, Asesoría Campesina and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Partnership to train and improve healthy watershed management in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca

5. La Universidad Anáhuac de Xalapa and the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College

Ecological Economics: Integrative Graduate Education and Research Project

6. El Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)

Innovative Training for Pollution Reduction and Efficient Energy Use

7. La Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro/Consejo de Ciencia y Tecnológica del Estado de Querétaro and West Virginia University

A partnership for rural development to develop greenhouses

8. La Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, El Colegio de la Frontera, the University of California-San Diego, and San Diego State University

A Cross-Border HIV/AIDS Prevention Training Program in the Northwest Mexican Border Region

9. The National Public Health Institute and the University of California-Berkeley

Training and Collaboration in HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis

To the representatives of these universities, welcome. Please stand up and be recognized.

I congratulate this community of now 46 university partnerships. You are the ones who set the example of convergence between our two great nations and get concrete results in areas of great importance to all. Keep up the hard work.

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ALO collaborates with USAID through Cooperative Agreement: HNE-A-00-97-00059-00

This publication was made possible through support provided by USAID. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID.

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