Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education
Encyclopedia
The Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education (in Spanish
: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO), whose tagline is Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara, is a Jesuit
university in the Western Mexican
state of Jalisco
, located in the municipality of Tlaquepaque
– part of the Guadalajara
Metropolitan Area.
The university has approximately 9,000 students and offers a wide range of academic options including Civil Engineering and Architecture, Food Engineering, Education, Electronic Engineering, International Business, International Relations, and Networks and Telecommunications Engineering. Although the university has not expanded yet over Mexico, its only campus being in Guadalajara, it is affiliated to the Jesuit University System which also holds the Iberoamerican Universities
in Mexico City, León, Torreón, Puebla and Tijuana.
ITESO was first conceived by a group of Jesuits, families and local businesspeople who sought to lay the material and spiritual foundations for a different kind of university. Their proposal was to combine professional training with the education of men and women who would go out into the world with a firm sense of social responsibility and justice.
ITESO is the only university in Jalisco with the Registration as an Institution of Academic Excellence, awarded by Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education. It is the first private university of the central-western region of Mexico to offer graduate programs of excellence recognized by the National Council of Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, CONACYT) and the Mexican Society for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (SOMEDICYT). Among private universities in the country, ITESO has the greatest number of professors in the National System of Researchers (SNI), the greatest number of books published, as well as an outstanding library.
Business extension, which fosters ongoing strategic alliances among independent businesses for the purpose of reaching common objectives in the development of competitive capacity.
Academic extension, which sets up internships in the productive sector as learning experiences for university students.
ITESO also has an enterprise incubation program that provides expert consulting for new business start-ups.
The Institutional Program for Managing Innovation and Technology (Programa Institucional para la Gestión de la Innovación y la Tecnología, PROGINNT), in conjunction with industry and different support organizations such as the Avance Program of the CONACYT, the Fund for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (PYME) of the Ministry of the Economy and the State Council for Science and Technology (COECYTJAL), helps regional organizations to increase their competitiveness through proper technological management. A three-phase model is used: technological diagnosis, strategic and technological planning, and administration of technological innovation projects.
This program not only coordinates the Certificate Program in Innovation and Technology Management, which seeks to foment change in the local business culture, but also offers the services of a technology-based enterprise incubator for generating high-tech business initiatives. The model provides key consulting services for the new businesses, and focuses on such sectors as food processing, pharmaceuticals, software development and electronic design, all identified as priority areas for the Jalisco economy.
It also offers the services of its Center for Business Consulting, to help businesses implement mechanisms for managing technology, and a Center for Competitive Intelligence, which does technology and market research, including trend studies; forecasts; strategic, market and patent studies; corporate and sectorial profiles; and other services.
This is the first graduate business program in Latin America designed to develop successful entrepreneurial and business skills for emerging markets. The program also covers innovative strategies to enter and expand operations in developed markets. Economists and business experts agree that emerging economies such as China, Brazil, Russia, India and many others, are reshaping globalization and renewing horizons for the world economy.
Some of the over 200 social projects in which the University participates are:
"Southern Region", sustainable development in southern Jalisco
"Sierra Wixárika", protection of the Huichol Indians’ territory and environment, improvement of productive systems, education and health
"Alternative Rural Financing System", which offers poor families from rural areas of Jalisco organizational, administrative and financial tools for raising their standard of living
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO), whose tagline is Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara, is a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
university in the Western Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
, located in the municipality of Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque , historically San Pedro or Georgetown, is a city and the surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. During the 20th century it was absorbed by the outward spread of the state capital and is now a neighbourhood of the Guadalajara conurbation, lying only a few kilometres...
– part of the Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
Metropolitan Area.
The university has approximately 9,000 students and offers a wide range of academic options including Civil Engineering and Architecture, Food Engineering, Education, Electronic Engineering, International Business, International Relations, and Networks and Telecommunications Engineering. Although the university has not expanded yet over Mexico, its only campus being in Guadalajara, it is affiliated to the Jesuit University System which also holds the Iberoamerican Universities
Universidad Iberoamericana
The Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus...
in Mexico City, León, Torreón, Puebla and Tijuana.
ITESO was first conceived by a group of Jesuits, families and local businesspeople who sought to lay the material and spiritual foundations for a different kind of university. Their proposal was to combine professional training with the education of men and women who would go out into the world with a firm sense of social responsibility and justice.
ITESO is the only university in Jalisco with the Registration as an Institution of Academic Excellence, awarded by Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education. It is the first private university of the central-western region of Mexico to offer graduate programs of excellence recognized by the National Council of Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, CONACYT) and the Mexican Society for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (SOMEDICYT). Among private universities in the country, ITESO has the greatest number of professors in the National System of Researchers (SNI), the greatest number of books published, as well as an outstanding library.
Business Projects
ITESO has a close relationship with businesses in the region through two types of extension activities:Business extension, which fosters ongoing strategic alliances among independent businesses for the purpose of reaching common objectives in the development of competitive capacity.
Academic extension, which sets up internships in the productive sector as learning experiences for university students.
ITESO also has an enterprise incubation program that provides expert consulting for new business start-ups.
The Institutional Program for Managing Innovation and Technology (Programa Institucional para la Gestión de la Innovación y la Tecnología, PROGINNT), in conjunction with industry and different support organizations such as the Avance Program of the CONACYT, the Fund for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (PYME) of the Ministry of the Economy and the State Council for Science and Technology (COECYTJAL), helps regional organizations to increase their competitiveness through proper technological management. A three-phase model is used: technological diagnosis, strategic and technological planning, and administration of technological innovation projects.
This program not only coordinates the Certificate Program in Innovation and Technology Management, which seeks to foment change in the local business culture, but also offers the services of a technology-based enterprise incubator for generating high-tech business initiatives. The model provides key consulting services for the new businesses, and focuses on such sectors as food processing, pharmaceuticals, software development and electronic design, all identified as priority areas for the Jalisco economy.
It also offers the services of its Center for Business Consulting, to help businesses implement mechanisms for managing technology, and a Center for Competitive Intelligence, which does technology and market research, including trend studies; forecasts; strategic, market and patent studies; corporate and sectorial profiles; and other services.
Educational Partnerships
Regis University and ITESO have created a joint MBA program to prepare Latin American and U.S. Latino executives/entrepreneurs for the rising opportunities of emerging economies around the world. Many future economic opportunities will depend on innovative economic policies and creative business strategies that unravel the challenges associated with emerging firms and markets in the global economy.This is the first graduate business program in Latin America designed to develop successful entrepreneurial and business skills for emerging markets. The program also covers innovative strategies to enter and expand operations in developed markets. Economists and business experts agree that emerging economies such as China, Brazil, Russia, India and many others, are reshaping globalization and renewing horizons for the world economy.
Social Service Projects
Among the most significant sources of experience and learning for students are the social service projects, which consolidate ITESO’s commitment to social transformation by forming leaders that are sensitive to the region’s and country’s needs.Some of the over 200 social projects in which the University participates are:
"Southern Region", sustainable development in southern Jalisco
"Sierra Wixárika", protection of the Huichol Indians’ territory and environment, improvement of productive systems, education and health
"Alternative Rural Financing System", which offers poor families from rural areas of Jalisco organizational, administrative and financial tools for raising their standard of living