APLU Advances North American Higher Education Engagement in Visit to Mexico

Seeking to deepen North American higher education engagement around collaborative research, economic engagement, and student and faculty mobility, APLU President Mark Becker recently led a delegation to Mexico alongside The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) President Taylor Eighmy, who is chair of APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives. The trip included a meeting at the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES) with senior leaders from APLU’s member institutions in Mexico, senior Mexican and U.S. government officials, and global business leaders in Mexico.

The Big Picture: The trip marked a decade since five public Mexican research universities joined APLU as members. APLU President Becker and UTSA President Eighmy were joined by:

• Bernie Burrola, APLU’s Vice President of International, Community, and Economic Engagement.
• Doug Steele, APLU’s Vice President, Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.
• Lisa Montoya, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Senior International Officer at UTSA.

Advancing North American Collaboration on Research, Economic Engagement, and Student and Faculty Mobility

Working with association member institutions the Autonomous National University of Mexico, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, National Polytechnic Institute, Autonomous National University of Mexico, University of Guadalajara, and University of Veracruz, APLU engaged Mexican and U.S. leaders to drive progress toward greater collaboration around research, economic engagement, and student and faculty mobility.  

The packed agenda included meetings with senior leaders at:

• The Autonomous National University of Mexico.
• AMEXCID, a research funding agency within the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico.
• A business roundtable with global business leaders in Mexico, organized by Enactus and sponsored by KPMG.
• National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES)
• The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Why It Matters: The meetings built on longstanding higher education and research ties between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. and come against the backdrop of burgeoning commercial ties among the countries and Mexico’s continued economic ascendancy.

• For the first time in two decades, the U.S. bought more goods from Mexico than any other country in 2023.
• Foreign Direct Investment has surged 40% in Mexico.
• Mexico and the U.S. continue to be the top foreign travel destinations for each other’s respective populations.
• Growing commercial, cultural, and capital ties present a critical opportunity to expand and deepen Northern American higher educational ties to align with and support deepening economic ties.

For companies, the pandemic highlighted the risks of single-source manufacturing and underscored the value of “near-shoring” through deepening ties across North America.

What’s Next: Mexican higher education, business, and government leaders signaled their intention to deepen collaboration to address skills gaps through higher education and research partnerships centered on the large and growing demand for high-skilled labor in Mexico.

As a North American association, APLU expressed its intention to help foster even deeper higher education and research engagement across the continent for enhanced collaboration and regionalism. APLU will host a session at the association’s Annual Meeting on higher education’s role in strengthening the dynamism of the North American region.