-
The World View
A blog from the Center for International Higher Education.
Title
Making Room for Innovation in Latin America
Latin America — and its leading universities — are at a turning point, one that could usher in a new era of international collaboration, with wide-ranging implications for students, faculty and regional economies.
The following commentary is the third and final essay in a series addressing the challenges (and achievements) of higher education in Latin America.
There are well-documented reasons that higher education across Latin America is not known for being forward-thinking or pioneering. Liz Reisberg outlined many of them, making a compelling case that innovation in Latin America higher education may not even be possible—and certainly not on a uniform basis. Yet, like Daniel Levy, I am not without optimism. Change comes slowly, but it does arrive. And I see a few key reasons to believe that the inertia of the status quo may be on the verge of cracking.
Latin America—and its leading universities—are at a turning point, one that could usher in a new era of international collaboration, with wide-ranging implications for students, faculty and regional economies. Here are three trends that spur my optimism.
Universities are increasingly looking toward international accreditation as a means of raising their standards and providing evidence of their quality.
For decades, elite institutions have embraced the rigor associated with international accreditation, making it central to their institutional priorities. There are currently 40-plus foreign institutions that have achieved U.S. institutional accreditation, 10 of which are from Latin America. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) includes four from Mexico and one from Costa Rica. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has one from Mexico, one from Perú, and another from Ecuador. And the Middle States Association (MSA) includes two from Chile.
Indeed, U.S. accreditation has both elevated each institution’s overall academic quality while encouraging investments in faculty with doctoral degrees, academic infrastructure, and support services; facilitating student mobility; helping establish assessment models; and promoting academic collaboration with international partners. That has certainly been the case at my institution, CETYS University, which includes three campuses throughout Mexico’s Baja California region. In 2012, we became the first Latin American institution to be accredited through WASC. About a year ago, we were re-accredited for an additional 10 years.
Such accreditation is not simply an outsourcing of standards and oversight to U.S. accrediting bodies, but a driver of improvements to national efforts as well. Collaboration between the Federation of Private Mexican Institutions of Higher Education (FIMPES) and WASC has helped FIMPES continue to improve the process through which over a hundred private universities in Mexico are accredited.
Of course, it is true that the early adopters of these improvements in accreditation have been among the more prominent, prestigious and well-resourced institutions. However, the trend line is moving in the right direction. International accreditation is becoming the norm among high-performing institutions, encouraging others to strengthen their own standards.
Higher education leaders have recognized their obligations to community and industry partners. Universities are inextricably linked to employers, government and society.
Just as institutions in the United States are increasingly acknowledging a need to create stronger alignment among degree programs, curriculum and the needs of employers, Latin American institutions are responding similarly. The result has been programs that address real-world problems and support applied research efforts in doing so.
Consider the aerospace clusters in central and northwest Mexico, like Querétaro. They draw on more than a dozen core partner institutions, companies and government agencies, including the Mexican Institute of Transportation, the Technological University of Querétaro, Arkansas State University, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and the Ministry of Sustainable Development. Like peer clusters elsewhere in the world, their aim is to facilitate synergy among academe, industry and government -- and they’re succeeding.
In Baja California, partnerships have involved Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto Tecnológico de Mexicali, and CETYS developing undergraduate majors aligned to key industry clusters, partnering with Honeywell, Gulfstream, and UTC, among others. Additional initiatives include tailored master’s programs conceived through the triple helix of government, industry, and higher education collaboration. Engineering graduate programs developed collaboratively with peers at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota) and UC-San Diego support industry partners in electronics (Skyworks) and medical device (Medtronics) clusters.
And our own Center for Innovation and Design (CEID) was created to support an even broader collaboration involving the quadruple helix – academe, industry, society and government. Importantly, these partnerships reinforce the need for the type of uniform quality standards made possible through institutional and program accreditation processes.
International ties between universities are consistently rooted in factors that transcend student mobility.
To some extent, internationalization is embedded within the DNA of my own institution, which has two of its three campuses along the U.S. border. We began formal internationalization efforts with an emphasis on creating student experiences abroad, and this remains a focus. Yet, true internationalization comes only when it permeates all elements of the university: faculty development experiences, applied research and problem-solving efforts undertaken with global partners, co-taught seminars and courses with partner institutions and double degrees, among others. We are seeing institutions share insights and collaborate with increasing frequency.
In 2013 and again in 2018, nearly a thousand university presidents from Latin America, Spain and Portugal participated in the Rectors Summit supported by Universia—first in Río de Janeiro, Brazil and then in Salamanca, Spain—where commitments and initiatives included improvement in the quality of teaching, mobility agreements and degree recognition.
In April 2019, the Global Attainment and Inclusion Network (GAIN) will meet at the CETYS Ensenada campus. Thanks to support from the American Council on Education, the Lumina Foundation, and Universia, a select number of leaders from across the globe will have the opportunity to share and analyze best practices on student attainment and success.
Continuing the Momentum
Liz Reisberg appropriately reminded us that the progress I’ve outlined is far from universal, and Daniel Levy provided important context for my own optimism. Taken together, I see an exciting—if challenging—future for higher education in Latin America. Our obstacles are well known, but there’s opportunity for change and evolution. The task now is to make the investments and provide a clear strategic direction for our institutions that ensures that my optimism is well-placed.
Fernando Leon Garcia is President of CETYS University.
Read more by
Inside Higher Ed Careers
Browse Faculty Jobs
Browse Administrative Jobs
Browse Executive Administration Jobs
Topics
College Pages
Popular Right Now
Essay about how white male students dominate discussions sets off debate at Dickinson and beyond
Alaska governor proposes 41 percent cut to higher ed
A community college president's campaign against stigma about two-year institutions
Critics and defenders of affirmative action submit their closing briefs
Study documents economic gains from liberal arts education
Study links faculty attitudes on intelligence to student success in STEM, with large impact on minor
What I Would Tell My Younger Self | Confessions of a Community College Dean
Appeals court rules on issue of university keeping rapist away from accuser
NYU social work school admits to institutional racism in wake of student email
Opinions on Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed’s Blog U
Sign Up / Sign In
With your existing account from...
{* loginWidget *}With a traditional account...
{* #signInForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *} {* currentPassword *} {* /signInForm *}Newsletter enrollment
Existing account found
We have found an existing account for the email address.
Please sign in to update your newsletter preferences.
{* /signInForm *}Newsletter opt-out
Edit your newsletter preferences
Account Info
Sign In
Welcome back, {* welcomeName *}!
{* loginWidget *}Sign In
Welcome Back
Account Deactivated
Your account has been deactivated.
Account Reactivation Failed
Sorry, we could not verify that email address.
Email Verification Required
You must verify your email address before signing in. Check your email for your verification email, or enter your email address in the form below to resend the email.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Almost Done
Please confirm the information below before signing in.
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* firstName *} {* lastName *} {* displayName *} {* emailAddress *} {* optInIHE *} {* optIn3rdParty *} {* agreeToTerms *}Almost Done
Please confirm the information below before signing in. Already have an account? Sign In.
{* #registrationForm *} {* firstName *} {* lastName *} {* displayName *} {* emailAddress *} {* newPassword *} {* newPasswordConfirm *} {* optInIHE *} {* optIn3rdParty *} {* agreeToTerms *}Thank You for Registering
We have sent a confirmation email to {* emailAddressData *}. Please check your email and click on the link to verify your email address.
Create New Password
We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Create New Password
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
Create New Password
This email address was registered with a social account. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password, which can be used in addition to your linked social providers.
{| current_emailAddress |}
{| foundExistingAccountText |} {| current_emailAddress |}.
{| existing_displayName |} - {| existing_provider |} : {| existing_siteName |} {| existing_createdDate |}
{| existing_provider_emailAddress |}
Sign In to Complete Account Merge
Resend Verification Email
Sorry, we could not verify that email address. Enter your email below, and we'll send you another email.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Change Password
Create New Password
We didn't recognize that password reset code. Enter your email below, and we'll send you another email.
{* #resetPasswordForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Create New Password
We've sent you an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
Edit Your Account
Profile Photo
Linked Accounts
Link Your Accounts
This allows you to sign in to your account using that provider in the future.
Password
Deactivate Account
Change Password
Deactivate Your Account
Are you sure you want to deactivate your account? You will no longer have access to your profile.
{* deactivateAccountForm *} {* /deactivateAccountForm *}
Expand commentsHide comments — Join the conversation!