Ana González Cofresí (January 7, 1908 – February 18, 1997), better known as Ana G. Méndez, was a Puerto Rican educator who founded the Ana G. Méndez University System in Puerto Rico.

Early years

Méndez was one of eight children born to Francisco González Monge and Ana Cofresí Sánchez in

Aguada, Puerto Rico Aguada (; , ), originally San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the northwestern coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, east of Rincón, south of Aguadilla, west of Moca; and no ...

. She was of Austrian descent via her mother, who was a direct descendant of the Puerto Rican

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

Roberto Cofresí Roberto Cofresí y Ramírez de Arellano (June 17, 1791 – March 29, 1825), better known as El Pirata Cofresí, was a Puerto Rican pirate. He was born into a noble family, but the political and economic difficulties faced by the island as a colo ...

(the original last name was Kupferschein).Biografia y Vidas
/ref> In 1935, Méndez graduated from high school in Santurce; she earned her bachelor's degree in commercial education from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

in 1940. It was during the 1940s that she realised that students should have the option of having a short term college for a commercial or technical career, this led in 1941, to her founding the Puerto Rican High School of Commerce with three teachers and nine students.zonai

Personal life

She got married when she was 15 years old to José Méndez Rivera and they had three children together: Dora, Grecia, and José Méndez González.

Founder of Puerto Rico Junior College

In 1948, Méndez graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

with a master's degree. In 1948, she founded the Puerto Rico Junior College in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Flo ...

with 19 students; this became the first educational institution in Puerto Rico to offer an associate degree (2 year college). An educational visionary, Méndez founded universities,

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

stations, college classes by mail and as mentioned above the associate degree.UMET celebra foro internacional de empresarismo
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Universities founded by Méndez

Among the universities founded by Méndez are: * The University of Turabo, which is located in

Caguas, Puerto Rico Caguas (, ) is a Caguas barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Cordillera Central (Puer ...

with branches in

Cayey Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north east of Salinas and north of Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east o ...

, Isabela, Ponce, Yabucoa, Barceloneta and Naguabo. * The Universidad del Este (University of the East), which is located in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a Carolina barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico, immediately east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan and Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Trujillo Alto, n ...

with branches in Santa Isabel, Cabo Rojo, Barceloneta, Utuado and in Yauco; * The Metropolitan University, which is located in Cupey with branches in Bayamón,

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

, Jayuya, and in Comerío.

Ana G. Méndez Foundation

Méndez also founded the "Ana G. Méndez Foundation" which grants scholarships to outstanding students and she also found TV Channel 40 "The Ana G. Méndez Educational Channel". What today is known as the "Ana G. Méndez University System" and started with only nine students, now has over 17,000 students, 800 professors and 500 administrative employees.

Legacy

In 1965, Méndez became the "first" and only Puerto Rican woman amongst the Board of Directors of

Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

. In 1975, the Catholic University of Puerto Rico awarded to Méndez an honorary doctoral degree in humanities. Ana G. Méndez died on 18 February 1997 in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. Puerto Rico honored her memory by naming an avenue in San Juan after her. On 10 July 2003, Mayor

Buddy Dyer John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer (born August 7, 1958) is an American politician who has served as the Mayor of Orlando since 2003. A member of the Florida Democratic Party, he is Orlando's longest-serving mayor. He previously served as a representative ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, announced the opening of the "Ana G. Méndez Metro Orlando University".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Ana G. 1908 births 1997 deaths New York University alumni People from Aguada, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent 20th-century Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican women educators University of Puerto Rico alumni Founders of American schools and colleges Women founders 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American women philanthropists