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The Universidad de Monterrey was established in 1969 with the purpose of shaping students with academic excellence and a humanistic outlook.
The UDEM was founded by the following religious congregations: Daughters of Immaculate Mary of Guadalupe, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Marist Brothers and the De la Salle Brothers. They were supported and motivated by an enthusiastic association of Catholic citizens and businessmen.
The founding religious groups already had deep roots in Monterrey. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Society had been working in the city since 1908, and the Daughters of Immaculate Mary of Guadalupe had founded Labastida College, dedicated to the education of girls and young ladies, in 1919 and the University of Labastida in 1951. The Marist Brothers had been teaching in Monterrey since 1905. Finally, the De la Salle Brothers, who had left Mexico during the Mexican Revolutionary, had returned to this city in 1942 to found the Instituto Regiomontano.
This extensive experience in the local educational environment helped them join together and bring to fruition the project of a university founded on Christian values.
The Universidad de Monterrey was shaped by two key factors. First, the founders were searching for a new type of university structure that would offer an integral and humanist education to the society of the 60's (a decade of the scientific, technological, and cultural revolution). Second, the founders wanted to implement the Second Vatican Council's recommendation to promote Catholic principles in the educational environment.
A non-profit organization named Fomento de Educación Superior, A. C. (FESAC) [Civil Association of Higher Education Promotion] was created in 1968. Its purposes were the promotion, administration, and management of educational activities and the promotion of culture.
FESAC had two options for obtaining governmental validation for their planned university: one of them was to join an already established educational institution and the other was to obtain academic freedom. Although achieving the latter was more difficult, FESAC chose it because it would allow them to strike out in a new direction and create a university with a distinctive mark.
On July 8th, 1969, Nuevo Leon State Governor Eduardo A. Elizondo officially recognized the Universidad de Monterrey as a Free University School [Escuela Libre Universitaria], sponsored by Fomento de Educación Superior, A.C.
An agreement between the Guadalupana, Marista, and De la Salle congregations and the Archbishopric of Monterrey was signed in 1972. The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus joined the agreement at a later date.
Consolidation of the Project
By 1972, the UDEM had six Institutes teaching 22 undergraduate degree programs and three graduate programs. Its activities were spread across eight facilities throughout the metropolitan area and a great number of supporting professional institutions, mostly in the field of Medicine.
The UDEM Students' Federation and the Cultural Promotion Department were created a couple of years later in order to encourage an integral humanistic development in the students.
The Vice Presidents' Offices were replaced by seven academic divisions: Art and Environmental Sciences, Educational Sciences, Economic-Administrative Sciences, Juridical Sciences, Natural and Exact Sciences, Health Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences.
One year later, the State of Nuevo Leon published several amendments to the official agreement that had created the Universidad de Monterrey. These amendments recognized the institution as a Free University School and authorized it to teach middle, higher, technical, and graduate education.
UDEM: Success Based on the Human Being
Early in the 1980's, several members of the religious congregations returned to their institutes, however they retained their representation on the Executive Board and continued to be involved in teaching. Several prominent businessmen also remained actively involved in the University's development.
After a decade of consistent work, the members of the university felt the need for a university campus that would concentrate the whole student population. The first step towards the construction of a campus occurred when five members of the Executive Board joined a non-profit organization led by Mr. Dionisio Garza called "Desarrollo Educacional, A. C."
Headed by the generosity of Mr. Roberto Garza-Sada, the gifts of multiple benefactors made it possible to complete the project relatively quickly. Mr. Garza-Sada set aside a considerable fund in his will to benefit the University and the future generations of young people.
Thanks to "Desarrollo Educacional, A.C.," an 86-acre plot of land was acquired to build the university's new facilities. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in 1981 to mark the beginning of a campus that would benefit both the institution and high aspirations of the current and future students.
Growth and accreditations
The 90's marked a decade of growth, in which various undergraduate degree programs were initiated to strengthen the university's academic offering.
In Mexico, many high schools are connected to universities and serve to prepare the students for the rigors of university study. Following this tradition, the UDEM opened two preparatory high schools; first, the Humberto Lobo Prepa UDEM in the early 80's, and then the San Pedro Prepa UDEM in 1993.
That same year, SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) approved the UDEM's application to join its ranks.
As one would expect after more than twenty years of educational excellence, the UDEM was accumulating affiliations and accreditations, for instance: recognition from the Federation of Higher Education Private Mexican Institutions [Federación de Instituciones Mexicanas Privadas de Educación Superior], accreditation from the Puerto Rico Board of Medical Examiners [Tribunal Examinador de Médicos de Puerto Rico] for the undergraduate medicine program, accreditation from the National Council on Psychology Teaching and Research [Consejo Nacional para la Enseñanza e Investigación en Psicología] for the undergraduate psychology program and the ISO 9001 Certification for the administrative system of the Art, Design, and Environmental Sciences Division.
Also in the 90's, a financial campaign called "An Investment in Values" [Una Inversión en Valores] was launched to provide the UDEM with the funds required to consolidate its infrastructure.
Administrative advances included the creation of a Community Extension Office to share the UDEM culture, an Alumni Office to maintain links with graduates, the Continuing Education Department to offer educational opportunities to adult students, and the Human Development and Entrepreneurial Innovation Center to meet the needs of the business sector.
CCU Inauguration
On August 21st, 1998 the Community Center was inaugurated by Mexico's President, Ernesto Zedillo, and was blessed by the Vatican's Apostolic Nuncio, Justo Mullor, who also returned on November 20th to bless the new Chapel.
In the year 2000, the UDEM became the first university in the country to employ exclusively Ph.D. holders to teach its graduate courses. The San Pedro Unit's South Building was inaugurated and the Sports Formation Center opened its doors.
In the same year a record number of new students enrolled and five students graduated with Summa Cum Laude recognition.
SACS Accreditation
In December 2001, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited the Universidad de Monterrey to offer educational programs at the undergraduate and master's levels.
As a result, the UDEM became one out of only five Latin American Universities to achieve SACS membership, along with the Tecnológico de Monterrey, the Universidad de las Américas-Puebla, the Universidad de las Américas-Mexico, and the Costa Rica based Instituto Centro Americano de Administración de Empresas.
Strategic planning allowed the UDEM to achieve greater internationalization in 2002. We signed 26 bilateral agreements with universities from the United States (such as University of California, Berkeley) and with European universities from Spain, Italy, Belgium, England, Germany and France (like the Lycée Bossuet-Notre Dame, in Paris).
Currently, the UDEM students enjoy 671 possible study abroad programs in 56 different countries.
Introduction of the Personal Formation Plan
On April 10th, 2008, the Universidad de Monterrey innovated its educational model by designing and introducing the Personal Formation Plan. The UDEM believes that every student is unique and that university education should be tailored to the individual. The Personal Formation Plan enables each student to shape an individual and unique degree plan, so he or she can realize his or her full potential. This program guides the students through three broad phases. First, the students receive personalized professional guidance in selecting and designing their major. Then, throughout their education, they are oriented to specific activities and courses intended to intensify their individual strengths. Finally, the UDEM helps them successfully initiate their professional lives through internship programs before they graduate and job placement services afterwards.
The Personal Formation Plan combines the academic and the professional training aspects of university education by means of a unique educational model. This program highlights one of the qualities that has always set the UDEM apart: the personal treatment of every student, which entails the integral development of all aspects of his or her person.
