Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico

The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) is a private, secular, non-profit, non-politically affiliated university. Founded in 1946 by the Mexican Cultural Association, ITAM has established itself as one of the main and most prestigious academic institutions and research centers in Mexico.

ITAM has a campus located in Mexico City divided into two campuses: “Río Hondo”, in the Álvaro Obregón mayor’s office (for undergraduate and engineering degrees), and “Santa Teresa”, in the Magdalena Contreras mayor's office (for postgraduates and graduates). Within these two venues are various libraries, auditoriums, cafeterias, laboratories and learning centers.

Given its teaching and research work —focused on administration, politics and various engineering fields— ITAM is considered, along with El Colegio de México and the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, one of the best institutions to study careers in economics, administration, political science, law and international relations. ITAM graduates, popularly known as "itamitas", have come to occupy the highest positions in the Mexican government and have the highest rate of admission to the diplomatic service of the country.

History

The origins

Initially called the Technological Institute of Mexico (ITM), ITAM was founded by Mexican businessman Raúl Baillères Chávez on March 29, 1946. A prominent businessman originally from Silao, Guanajuato, Baillères had an extensive career that included Fundación de Crédito Minero y Mercantil and the acquisition of companies such as Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma and El Palacio de Hierro, among others; background of what today constitutes Grupo Bal, a diversified holding company in different companies and activities, he was also president of the Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM).

Interested in education, Baillères brought together a group of bankers and businessmen to form the Asociación Mexicana de Cultura A.C., —of whose governing board he was president—, which became the board of trustees of the Technological Institute of Mexico. The first university degree offered by the Institute was Economics, in 1946; a year later the Preparatory School and the School of Business Administration were established.

The first headquarters of the ITM was located at Calle Palma Norte 518, between Belisario Domínguez and República de Cuba, in the Historic Center of Mexico City, and it remained there for four years. In the 1950s the ITM experienced a process of expansion in various ways. Its facilities were moved to Calle de Serapio Rendón 65, in Colonia San Rafael, and in 1951 the Public Accountant and Private Accountant careers were opened, with which the number of students grew from 50 to 500. The demand for these careers It is explained taking into account the context known as "Stabilizing Development", the period of sustained economic growth for Mexico since the 1950s.

The ITM was refining its mission as a center of higher learning, and in 1954 it closed its high school, to focus on higher education. At the end of the decade, the ITM moved to a purpose-built headquarters, at Calle de Marina Nacional 350, on the land next to the Petróleos Mexicanos Tower built later.

From autonomy to the present

On January 19, 1963, ITAM obtained its autonomy through a decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation by the then President of the Republic, Adolfo López Mateos, and with the endorsement of Jaime Torres Bodet, who held the position of Secretary of Public Education. With the rank of Free University School, the now Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) —officially known by that name since 1985— joined the group of educational centers higher self-government, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico (autonomous since 1929). At the end of that decade, in 1967, the Assembly of the Mexican Cultural Association, A.C., established the ITAM Governing Board, the first step in a strategy of institutional strengthening and consolidation, which in 1969 led to the establishment of a Comprehensive Plan of Development that transformed the academic structures of investigation, administration and organization. This plan also included the creation of the Center for Research and University Extension, and the opening of new careers and postgraduate studies. As of the date of this article, the Governing Board is the only authority with the capacity to transform, modify or eliminate the statutes and guidelines that govern the entire Institute.^{[citation required]}

In 1974, the bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and the master's degree in Administration were established. A year later, the degree in Social Sciences was created, which was replaced in 1991 by the current degree in Political Science. That decade and the following were marked by the expansion and growth of the academic offer, with the opening of careers in Law (1980), Actuary (1982), Computer Engineering (1983), International Relations (1992), Computer Engineering Telematics (1993), Industrial Engineering (1997) and various joint programs: Administration and Public Accounting and Financial Strategy, as well as Economics and Political Science or Economics and International Relations (2012). ITAM recently opened new degree programs: Business Engineering (2005), and Financial Management and Mechatronics Engineering, both in 2010.^{[citation required]}

The academic expansion of the institute made it necessary to expand its facilities. At the beginning of 1978, ITAM moved its location to Calle de Río Hondo 1, in Colonia Progreso Tizapán in Mexico City, in the facilities of a former Jesuit seminary. The consolidation of postgraduate studies became evident with the inauguration of the Center for Research and Postgraduate Studies in an alternate campus at Avenida Santa Teresa 930, in the Héroes de Padierna neighborhood.^{[citation required]}

General directors (1946 - 1968) and rectors (since 1968)

Since its foundation, ITAM has been headed by directors and later by rectors, positions that have been elected solely by the Governing Board. Since 1967, Alberto Baillères, son of Raúl Baillères Chávez and graduate of ITAM, has chaired the Mexican Association of Culture and the Institution's Governing Board, which awarded him an honorary doctorate on May 20, 1999.

Educational offer and teaching perspective

ITAM's internal structure is made up of five Academic Divisions that group together fourteen Academic Departments and to which the 38 academic programs depend. The five divisions are: Actuarial, Statistics and Mathematics; Administration and Accounting; Economics, Law and Social Sciences; General Studies and International Studies; and Engineering. ITAM describes its academic style in the following terms: “We emphasize our commitment to provide the best teachers for the best students. The classes are small and dynamic and we try not to have groups that exceed thirty students.” Due to its size, ITAM allows personalized attention from professors and career directors who maintain a close and permanent link with the students. The 98 percent of the teaching staff have postgraduate studies at the best universities in the world. ITAM is a non-profit organization with a non-refundable scholarship program that benefits 30 percent of enrolled students. In other words, one in three students receive financial support to be able to cover the cost of their studies at the institute and even living expenses.

Bachelor's Degree

In ITAM, ten bachelor's degrees are taught:

• Acting
• Administration
• Political science
• Data science
• Public Accounting and Financial Strategy
• Law
• Financial management
• Economy
• Applied Mathematics
• International relations

Furthermore, five engineering courses are offered:

• Computation
• Mechatronic
• Business
• Telecommunications (in the process of discontinuation)
• Industrial

There is the possibility of studying more than one degree at the same time through the 31 joint programs offered by ITAM at the undergraduate and engineering levels.

Undergraduate students take a common core of General Studies, a seven-subject program offered by the division of the same name. Through these subjects, the humanistic training of the student is sought, in order to forge their own and independent criteria that can be integrated into their professional and personal life.

Postgraduate Studies

As for postgraduate courses —a level that approximately 50 percent of undergraduate graduates take—, ITAM has several programs, all of which are officially recognized:

• Risk Management (2002)
• Data Science (2012)
• Computer Sciences (2012)
• Human Rights and Guarantees (2012)
• Executive MBA (2004) — together with Tulane University —
• Applied Economy (2007)
• Finance (2008)
• Marketing (2011)
• MBA (2007)
• Economic Theory (2007)
• Information and Administration Technologies (2008)
• Public Policies (2015)

It also offers a PhD in Economics (2007). Master's degrees can be taken part-time or full-time.

University Extension and Executive Development

In addition to careers and postgraduate studies, the Institute has a Continuing Education Program, officially called University Extension and Executive Development, which seeks to keep alumni updated and provide educational opportunities to other groups and individuals in the society such as companies and government institutions, among others. This Program offers international diplomas, automated diplomas, executive programs and refresher courses; and is part of UNICON (International Consortium of Universities for Executive Education), to which only other centers of excellence such as Harvard University, the Wharton Business School, the Kellogg School of Management and Stanford University belong.^{[citation required]}

Courses and diplomas are offered in the areas of: Administration; Actuary and Insurance; Accounting and Finance; Right; Economy; Statistics; Innovation; Technology and Computing; Industrial Engineering and Operations; International relations; Public Sector and Society; and Humanism. It also has special projects and programs, designed according to the training needs of a given company and can be delivered on campus or off campus. This aspect is based on the idea that "all education should aim to improve human beings by enriching their best values."

National and international impact of ITAM students and alumni

ITAM's enrollment represents less than 0.5 percent of the national university enrollment and fluctuates around 5,500 students at the undergraduate and engineering levels. However, ITAM has a great impact on its alumni community and on national life. To enter ITAM, applicants must take the Academic Aptitude Test (PAA), an admission exam that is applied at the institute and also at the best international universities. Young people who enroll in ITAM obtain good results on this evaluation, thus belonging to the group of students that obtains this score in Mexico and in the world.

In the The 300 Most Influential Leaders classification, carried out annually by the Líderes Mexicanos magazine since 2006, ITAM graduates have represented, on average, 7 percent percent of the list. In 2011, 32 alumni and professors from the master's and bachelor's programs appeared on the new version of the list. A study conducted by the Mexican magazine Expansión in 2007 found that 14 percent of the 50 most influential women in Mexico were ITAM graduates, a fact that evidenced the effort in favor of gender equality made by the Institute throughout its history.

Being a smaller school than the large Mexican universities has fostered the development of a unitary spirit among the alumni who remain linked to the Institute even after completing their studies. The majority of ITAM graduates are in the first management levels in the companies or institutions where they work, more than half choose to carry out postgraduate studies in universities of excellence abroad and, according to a survey, they are satisfied with the preparation they have received. Graduates from the Institute achieve an adequate insertion in the labor market. ITAM has a job bank and 60 percent of students find a job before finishing their degree.

Featured Alumni

To recognize the professional quality of ITAM alumni and their contribution to the country's development, ITAM and the Alumni Association established since 1999 the awarding of "Carrera al Universo" and "Professional Merit" awards. In 2010, Georgina Kessel, then head of the Ministry of Energy, with thirty years of experience, was the first woman to obtain the highest award.

Several alumni of the institute have been relevant as academics, directors of international organizations and civil society, directors of private sector companies and public sector officials. Among them, the following stand out:

Awards and recognitions

ITAM students have received various awards and distinctions: the Fulbright-García Robles Scholarship from the Fulbright Program, the Mexican Academy of Law and Economics Award; the Citibanamex Economics Award, the National Association of Information Technology Education Institutions (ANIEI) Award; the Award for Academic Excellence from the National Association of Faculties and Schools of Engineering, the Award from the Mexican Association of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, the National Award for Financial Research, from the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives, and the &#34 Award;Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program". The institute itself awards the "EX ITAM Research Award" to the best research papers carried out by their students.

ITAM, as an institution, has also received multiple awards: in 2010, the Engineering Academic Division received the Franz Edelman Award, which is given to “outstanding examples of innovative operations that benefit organizations.” In In 2007, the magazine América Economía distinguished it as the best business school in Latin America; a comment on the news explained this recognition based on a solid faculty of full-time professors, many of them with postgraduate degrees from the best universities in the world. That same year, ITAM received accreditation from the Federation of Private Mexican Institutions of Higher Education, A. C. (FIMPES).

Among the most recent institutional acknowledgments, it is worth mentioning the first place in institutional academic level and the first academic place for professors according to the “Best Universities” survey published by the Mexican newspaper Reforma. In the most recent survey, ITAM obtained the first place overall with four races in first place, as well as first places in other areas. A subsection of the ITAM page called "Events and news of interest" keeps a detailed follow-up of the prizes awarded to its students and their incorporation into relevant positions in the official or corporate sphere.

In 2011, ITAM's Computer Science and Industrial Engineering academic programs received ABET Accreditation, making it the first educational institution in Mexico City to receive this recognition. ABET is a prestigious international organization that evaluates university programs in applied science, technology and engineering in the world.^{[citation required]}

ITAM is triple accredited by AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in the United States, AMBA (Association of MBAs) in London, EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) in Brussels and PIM (Partnership in International Management), which recognize the quality of its business management programs internationally (https://mba.itam.mx/acreditaciones).

Research and publications

Research

Apart from its educational services, ITAM has established itself as a prestigious scientific research center. Some of the works produced within its walls have determined, in many cases, the public, business and industrial policies of the country. The Institute's research centers are the following: Center for Economic Analysis and Research (CAIE), Center for Technological Development (CDT), Center for Applied Economics and Public Policies (CEAPP), Center for Applied Statistics (CEA), Center for (CEAct), Center for Competitiveness Studies (CEC), Center for Private Law Studies, Center for Public Law Studies, Center for Inter-American Studies and Programs, Center for Socioeconomic Evaluation of Projects, International Center for Pension Research, Economic Research Center (CIE), Alonso Lujambio Study Center (CEAL) and Center for Access to Justice. The Academic Division of Administration and Accounting has five research centers specialized in different areas of these subjects.

Posts

Among the country's private universities, ITAM stands out for its editorial activity and its catalog includes more than one hundred volumes and six hundred articles produced by its researchers and published in specialized international journals, many of them registered in Web of Science by Thomson Reuters, “an authoritative, multidisciplinary content database that covers 10,000 high-impact specialized publications worldwide.” ITAM academic publications have been compiled in the catalog Publications Academics 1996-1998.

In addition, the Institute publishes its own magazines in two main categories, institutional and student magazines. The first category corresponds to the publications: Analysis of the Economic Situation, Studies, Revista Mexicana de Derecho Público, Isonomía, Strategic Direction and Segment. Due to its public importance and its international impact, Foreign Affairs Latin America stands out, licensed by the prestigious US magazine Foreign Affairs, considered one of the most influential in the international arena. The second This category, referring to student magazines, includes titles such as: Caeteris Paribus, Political Science Gazette, Economics Gazette, Mazes and Infinites, helloWorld, Option, The Globalist, Syntagma and Urbi et Orbi. El Susupuesto is the students' newspaper, with nearly three hundred issues published to date, and serves as a means of community communication and a forum for student expression on current issues. Together these editorial products cover a broad thematic spectrum parallel to classroom training.

Libraries, databases and laboratories

Libraries

ITAM has the Raúl Baillères Jr. Library, located on the Río Hondo campus, which meets the criteria established by the American Library Association for university libraries. In its collection there are more than 495,000 volumes and copies of more than 900 periodicals related to the disciplines taught at the Institute. It also offers access to newspaper, electronic and audiovisual resources. Its special collections include the Miguel Palacios Macedo collection, the Ancient Bibliography (from the private collection of Rudi Dornbusch) and the personal libraries of Luis Montes de Oca and José Luis La Madrid Sauza. It has the collection of the Manuel Gómez Morin Library, which belonged to the Mexican politician who founded the National Action Party and includes more than 12,000 books on law, economics, political science, public administration, philosophy and literature, as well as a series of special editions.

Databases and laboratories

This offer of resources for students and researchers is complemented by databases; together they make up the technological infrastructure necessary to boost academic performance. The Financial Center at the Santa Teresa Campus has specialized programs and databases for financial research: Data Stream International, Dow Jones Interactive, Bloomberg, Reuter 3000/Reuter Graphics and Infosel Financiero. The Río Hondo computer centers include laboratories for instrumentation, electronics, networking, microprocess automation, and telematics engineering.

It is also worth mentioning the Center for Learning, Writing and Languages (CARLE), part of the Academic Department of Languages and dependent on the Academic Division of General Studies and International Studies of ITAM. Its mission is to meet the learning objectives that students set in the areas of learning strategies, writing and foreign languages. This Center has the Cervantes Interactive Classroom, Writing Center and a Media Library.

Student societies and community service

Student societies are of great importance within the Institute. The ITAM Alumni Society (CARITAM) is the official representation of the students, and the University Council of Honor and Excellence (CUHE) aims to promote improvement in academic performance. As part of a culture of social responsibility, there are other ITAM student groups structured as volunteers. Students participate in them as a contribution to solving the problems of Mexican society. Among these groups, the following stand out: ALCANCE, with a decade of work in three main areas: Community development, street children and physically or mentally disabled people. AIESEC, an NGO dedicated to carrying out professional and social practices in the world to create greater coexistence and respect between the various international cultures. The Center for Access to Justice (CAJ), made up of law students and teachers, provides free legal help to people who need it. The Free Advice Office for Philanthropic Organizations (DAGIF) offers consulting services on issues such as obtaining of funds, compliance with Mexican legal provisions and communication campaigns. ITAMMUN is a United Nations Model that seeks to promote debate around issues on the international agenda, generally organized within the facilities of the Foreign Ministry (SRE). The Interdisciplinary Program for Sustainable Development (PIDES) is an association that brings together students who organize activities to promote respect and care for the environment. In this way, ITAM achieves active participation in the solution of major national problems.