Universidad ITLA: Meet the Rector

Located in Hidalgo State, Mexico, the Instituto Tecnológico Latinoamericano, ITLA is ranked in QS Latin American University Rankings 2020.

To learn more about the Instituto Tecnológico Latinoamericano, ITLA and what it offers international students, we spoke to its rector, Dra. Claudia Eugenia Acosta.

Could you tell us about your background and how you became rector of ITLA?

In 1992, together with my father, Dr. Andrés Federico Acosta Castañeda and some relatives, we founded an association called, De Ciencias y Tecnología, A.C., which opened the way for the creation and sponsorship of the Instituto Tecnológico Latinoamericano, ITLA.

I began as Administrative and School Services Director in 1992, by September of that same year, I was a teacher and continued to teach extracurricular courses and seminars.

From 1994 to 2006 I worked as Academic Director and was later promoted to General Director from 2006 to 2019. In this position I was responsible for the acquisition of new infrastructure, the expansion of our educational offer and the creation of a new Campus in Tula de Allende. And finally, in 2019, I became the rector of the university.

Can you tell us about the mission and pillars of the university?

ITLA began operations on September 14, 1992, in Pachuca, Hidalgo State, Mexico. The first bachelor's degrees offered were: Administration and Computer Science, with a total of six students in each group, as well as the Baccalaureate with a specialty in Administrative Computer Science.

The teaching faculty consisted of five professors and five administrative staff, under the direction of Dr. Andrés Federico Acosta Castañeda. We had to change our location three times because of increased student demand until we finally settled in definitive facilities in 2005 at Mineral de la Reforma Municipality, part of the State of Hidalgo in Mexico. We have also opened a new campus in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo. We currently offer 56 programs divided into: School of Creativity and Innovation; School of Humanities; School of Engineering; School of Business.

Our mission is to provide educational and complementary services based on a relevant educational model, through nationally and internationally recognized plans and programs of study, which allow students and graduates to obtain and develop competencies backed by certifications, degrees and academic degrees, transforming their life to achieve success.

This guarantees the prestige of the institution thanks to a short educational offer and easy access, training productive professionals, entrepreneurs, with a high attitude of service and permanent disposition for learning.

Our vision is to be recognized nationally and internationally for our relevant educational model, the development of academic and research projects with a social perspective, accredited plans and programs of study, a high degree of employability and graduate entrepreneurial spirit. By incorporating a harmonized and integrated administrative strategy in a consortium of educational and complementary services it will ensure our institution's sustainability, permanence and transcendence through management processes, administrative systems and technological resources focused on the specialization of each disciplinary field, with responsible, result-oriented and valuable human talent spirit of service.

We also have seven main pillars that represent our values: gratitude, respect, transparency, harmony and creativity.

Is the university thinking about offering more courses in English so international students can study?

At ITLA we work with teaching resources, planning and class activities aligned with the Cambridge Assessment English methodology. We offer six English programs according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) from A1 for beginners, to C2 for those who master a language and two levels to become certified in the English language by Cambridge English Qualifications, as we are a Authorized Preparation Center.

How are you promoting the university’s brand to international audiences?

We currently offer a range of exchange programs and have many partnerships with international universities:

• Pila Program (Latin American Exchange Program). This program is part of ANUIES (Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior) and the objective is to help with student, professors and administrative staff mobility in Colombia and Argentina.
• Bramex Program (Brazil Mexico) aimed at students, professors and administrative staff.
• Universia Santander Program. Aimed at students and professors from many different countries.
• Suma Fimpes Program. Aimed at students to carry out mobility throughout the National Territory with Participating Universities

Partnerships

• Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina
• Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero (Argentina)
• Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios (Argentina)
• Universidad Nacional de Boyaca (Colombia)
• Universidad de Hipócrates (Acapulco, Mexico)

What is your message for international students and how can they get more information?

The Instituto Tecnológico Latinoamericano’s objective is to offer an educational system with an entrepreneurial vision, by proposing solutions to national, regional and local problems in through education and a comprehensive quality model through teaching and research, so students will be linked to the productive and social sectors of the State of Hidalgo, by contributing ideas that address problems at all levels such as: Business Productivity and Technology applied to big business.

The need to create a quality educational model is fundamental for the development of Mexico, for this reason ITLA wants to strengthen the educational, professional and labor structure, since this creates the basis for sustained growth and the possibility to develop human potential.

We want to meet the requirements of the 21^st century and its increasingly demanding market. We are an institution of science, culture, education, art and technology, serving the community and society in general, ensuring a student is intellectually, morally, socially and professionally educated; is inspired professionally to have good values, and ensure they generate the well-being and progress of the communities they serve.