Texas A&M Celebrates New Partnership In Mexico

Texas A&M University has added a new signature partnership to its set of resources to expand high impact learning for students and research collaboration for faculty with the formal dedication of the Hacienda Santa Clara Education and Research Center in Mexico.

Hacienda Santa Clara is a 340-acre study and research center just outside of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  The campus is owned by an education trust and operated by Barbara and Pablo Marvin, Class of 1966, who is a Texas A&M University Distinguished Alumnus and graduate in business administration. Hacienda Santa Clara is a culmination of a vision after several years of planning and construction.

Hacienda Santa Clara is a new model in education that provides modern amenities on an ecologically sustainable campus that allows a network of educational institutions and private and public sector organizations to work together to solve real world problems, officials note.

The campus is located in the Bajio region, Mexico’s breadbasket, which is also in the country’s high tech and industrial corridor. San Miguel de Allende is an acclaimed international art center as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Hacienda is a leader in creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The campus offers students, faculty, and researchers from both Mexico and United States a unique learning environment and access to a network of partners.

“Barbara and I wanted to build a center that could serve to create collaboration between students as well as professors and scholars from Mexico and the United States in a setting that would highlight the history, culture and art of our two nations” said Pablo Marvin.  “We are pleased to be formally dedicating the facility and already welcoming students from Texas A&M University, the Instituto Tecnologico Sanmiguelense and the University of Guanajuato, our signature academic partners.”

A dedication ceremony was held Oct. 23^rd that included representatives of Texas A&M University faculty, staff and administration as well as advisors from the Texas A&M University International Advisory Board and the International Programs Committee.  Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean for agriculture and life sciences,  presented remarks on behalf of Texas A&M as the agreement was negotiated and signed during his tenure as interim president.

“We are proud to join with Pablo and Barbara as they bring their vision of the center to life,” offered Dr. Hussey. “The exchange of students, faculty and their research, ideas and experiences will be greatly enhanced through this partnership, connecting Texas A&M to a region in Mexico rich in history and culture.”

Hussey referenced the almost 100 years of collaboration Texas A&M University has with the people of Mexico, dating back to a 1917 effort by a faculty led team of students working with cattle producers to address spreading “tick fever” outbreak and continued by work of faculty like Dr. Norman Borlaug and his wheat studies of the 1950s.  Today, Texas A&M faculty are partners with academic institutions throughout Mexico focused on issues of the Gulf of Mexico, trade, agriculture science, water, engineering, biotechnology and economic development.  Some of these collaborations benefit from research grants seeded by Texas A&M’s Vice President for Research and CONACYT, the national council for science and technology for Mexico.

The dedication ceremony included representatives from the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of Economic Development, the Secretary of Education, the State of Guanajuato Legislature, academic leaders and the Mayor of San Miguel de Allende, Ricardo Villarreal, who took office just prior to the dedication event.

“The people of San Miguel de Allende are happy to welcome the Texas A&M Aggies to our city and your new home for study and research abroad.  We believe this partnership will bring our cities, universities and our countries together,” Villarreal noted in his remarks.

San Miguel de Allende is among the most visited locations in Mexico, hosting almost 2 million tourists a year and is the home to one of the seven United States Consulates in Mexico.  Faculty and administrators have noted many potential collaborations with industry and academia in the region.  Study abroad courses focused in water, geology, horticulture and engineering are already underway.

The Hacienda Santa Clara partnership allows Texas A&M University preferred rates and scheduling of the Hacienda’s dormitories, classrooms, dining, meeting facilities and services in exchange for a one time investment in information technology and audio visual hardware that allows for enhanced utilization of the facility.  In addition to excellent facilities, the Hacienda is also home to an extensive art collection and is surrounded by expertly maintained gardens of regional floriculture, providing visitors with an inspirational setting for study, research and meetings.

Faculty can work with their International Programs Committee representative and the Office of Study Abroad to determine courses and utilization. The Hacienda is also available for use for conferences and special meetings by contacting the Global Partnership Services in the Office of Public Partnership & Outreach at ppo@tamu.edu.

Hacienda Santa Clara is a study and research abroad facility located 20 minutes east of San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico.  The Hacienda is operated by Centro de Estudios e Investigacion Santa Clara, S.C. (CEISC), an educational civil association licensed to operate in Mexico.  http://www.haciendastaclara.com/