Universidad de las Américas Puebla, commonly known as UDLAP (), is a Mexican private university located in
San Andrés Cholula, near
Puebla
Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
. The university is known for its programs in
Finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
,
Arts
The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...
and
Humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
,
Social sciences
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
,
Science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and
Engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, and
Business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
and
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Latin America, having been ranked the best private and single-campus university in Mexico by the newspaper ''
El Universal'',
as well as being one of the only seven universities in Latin America accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...
. The UDLAP has also been very successful in Mexican collegiate sports; their teams are the
Aztecas
Aztecas UDLAP is the name of the sports teams that represent the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), located in San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, Mexico.
American football
History
In 1947 the team began its life as the American football s ...
.
History
1940s
The Universidad de las Américas was founded in 1940 by Dr. Henry L. Cain and Dr. Paul V. Murray. Its original name was
Mexico City College
Mexico City College was founded in 1940, as an English-speaking junior college in Mexico City, Mexico.
In 1946, the college became a four-year Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', ...
. The institution initially offered associate degrees in Arts and Sciences. In 1946 the Veterans Administration added the university to its list of "approved universities" which allowed veterans to study in the institution with financing from the United States' government. The Graduate School was created in 1947.
1950s
The university was accepted by the Texas Association of Colleges, as an overseas institution in 1951. In 1959 the university became, only in that time over the Mexican Republic, a member of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...
(SACS).
1960s
In 1963 the university changed its name to "University of the Americas". The institution was divided into three schools: Mexico City College, School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School. In 1967 the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation along with the International Development Agency provided the financial resources to build a new campus in the municipality of
San Andres Cholula, Puebla. In 1968 the university decided to change its name to its Spanish translation "Universidad de las Américas".
1970s
The Universidad de las Américas moved to its new campus in the city of
Cholula, Puebla
Cholula (, officially ; ), is a city and district located in the metropolitan area of Puebla, Mexico. Cholula is best known for its Great Pyramid, with the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios sanctuary on top, as well as its numerous chur ...
in 1970. Two more schools were created: the Institute of Technology (now the School of Engineering) in 1971 and the School of Economics and Business Sciences in 1978.
1980s
The Institute of Advanced Studies was created in 1986 and in 1988 the School of Humanities and Social Sciences became two separate entities. In 1989 the School of Sciences was created.
1990
New Science Laboratories were built, as well as a new building for the School of Humanities. In 1994 it became one of the first universities in Mexico to have network voice and data connection. In 1997 the Library was remodeled and allowed digital access to students.
2000s
New Chemical Engineering Laboratories were built. Two Doctoral programs (PhD) were created, one in Economics and the other in Computer Science. In 2002 the Institute of Public Politics was created as well as the Center for Regional Development. A new Optical Communications laboratory was built for the Research Center on Automation Technology. The CAIL, Language Learning and Research Complex (Conjunto para el Aprendizaje e Investigación en Lenguas) was finished in 2005. The Real Madrid Soccer school was established.
In 2006, 11 new bachelor's degrees and 9 master's degree programs opened, including the innovative programs at the undergraduate level in
Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering, and
Culinary Arts
Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...
. The launching of academic programs for 2007 in Health Sciences:
Medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
,
Odontology
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of ...
and
Nursing
Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
was announced. In 2011, the treatment plant of residual waters was inaugurated.
Capilla del Arte
The ''Capilla del Arte'' (Art Chapel) was opened by UDLAP in the
Historic Centre of Puebla district of the
city of Puebla.
[Universidad de las Américas Puebla−UDLAP: The Art Chapel−''Capilla del Arte'']
— history and programs. It has a contemporary art gallery, cultural center, and auditorium, for cultural programs of music, dance, theater, film, literature, and arts to connect Puebla society with students, professors and artists.
[ It is housed in a historical 1910s ]Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
style commercial building, originally constructed for the exclusive department store ''La Ciudad de México'', and later housing another Mexican department store, ''Fábricas de Francia''.[
]
Campus
The campus is made up of 38 buildings on 180 acres (728,000 m2), located 12 miles (19 km) west of Puebla's downtown, and less than 2 miles south of Cholula's downtown. The 38 buildings include 6 classroom buildings, 2 laboratory buildings, 3 on-campus dormitories, 1 off-campus dormitory, 2 soccer fields, 1 football field, 1 baseball field, 2 gymnasiums, tennis courts, 2 cafeterias, 1 library, 1 Student Center, 1 Auditorium, Offices and Professors' Housing. The campus was built on what was originally known as the Hacienda de Santa Catarina Mártir.
Housing
Unique to Mexico, the University of the Americas Puebla has a housing system very similar to those in the United States, their antecedents being the Yale
Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
and the Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
housing systems. The university has four residential colleges, named after some of the most important people in the history of the UDLAP. The name of the four colleges are: The Cain Murray, the Ray Lindley, the Ignacio Bernal and the José Gaos colleges.
Academics
Schools and departments
As of December 2005, the School of Social Sciences and the School of Arts and Humanities were combined, as were the School of Engineering and the School of Sciences, to form two new schools as part of an institutional plan to offer students a broader education.
Also, the Economics Department joined the Business School, which changed its name to the School of Economic and Management Sciences. In March 2006, this school again changed its name to its current form.
* School of Social Sciences (''Escuela de Ciencias Sociales'')
* School of Arts and Humanities (''Escuela de Artes y Humanidades'')
* School of Engineering (''Escuela de Ingeniería'')
* Science School (''Escuela de Ciencias'')
* Business and Economics School (''Escuela de Negocios y Economía'')
* School of Graduate Studies and Research
* Department of International Affairs (''Departamento de Asuntos Internacionales'')
Research
In Mexico, university research is generally done at public universities or at research-specific institutions. However UDLAP is one of the few private universities in the country to invest a reasonable amount of resources in research. Approximately 25% of the professors at the UDLAP are members of the National System of Researchers. They oversee several subjects at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, facilitating students' involvement in research projects beginning in the first semesters.
UDLAP's research work is reflected in scientific publications. Between 2009 and 2011 there were 364 works produced. There have been 330 publications, which include media articles, refereed articles, conference papers, book chapters and theses.
Rankings
In an annual study presented by the Mexican newspaper '' El Universal'', the UDLAP was given the best grade of the universities in the Metropolitan area of Puebla
The Metropolitan area of Puebla or Greater Puebla is the fourth largest Urban agglomeration, agglomeration in Mexico with a population of 3.199 million. This agglomeration includes 10 municipalities of the state of Puebla, and 13 municipalities o ...
, above universities such as UPAEP, BUAP
The Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla () (BUAP) is the oldest and largest university in Puebla, Mexico. Founded on 15 April 1578 as Colegio del Espíritu Santo, the school was sponsored by the Society of Jesus during most of the Spanis ...
or the Ibero Puebla. It is also the fourth-best private university in the country, and the ninth overall. The same study also reported that employers placed the university in second place, only after Mexico's National University, the UNAM
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...
, and that in the teacher's evaluation, the Puebla University was placed in third place, after the UNAM and the ITAM.
Sports
The Universidad de las Américas' sports teams are called the Aztecs
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...
. Their American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
team has won three championships in the National League ( ONEFA), and currently plays in the Premier League of the CONADEIP. The university was chosen as the site of the third Spanish Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
youth overseas soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
school, and started activities on 7 February 2005. The UDLAP Men's basketball team is the 2006 Puebla State champions.
Track & field
The most important athlete in the history of track & field is Herman Adam, a Mexican athlete born in Poza Rica
Poza Rica (), formally: Poza Rica de Hidalgo is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its name means "rich well/pond". It is often thought that the name came to be because it was a place known for its abundanc ...
, 2 August 1965. He has participated in the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988 and in Barcelona 1992, the World Athletics Championship Tokyo 1991, and other international competitions. His athletic disciplines include the 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump, and the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 400 m relays. His record 10.39sec in 100m at CONADEIP is still the world record.
Current teams representing UDLAP in national tournaments include:
* Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
* Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
* Soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
* Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
* Track and field
Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
* Tae Kwon Do
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In a ...
Accreditations
Besides being accredited by the Secretaría de Educación Pública
In Mexico, the Secretariat of Public Education ( in Spanish ''Secretaría de Educación Pública'', ''SEP'') is a federal government authority with cabinet representation and the responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation o ...
(federal Secretariat of Education), the Universidad de las Américas is also accredited by:
* SACS - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...
* ABET - Engineering Accreditation Commission
* IFT - Institute of Food Technologies
* FIMPES - Federación de Instituciones Mexicanas Particulares de Educación Superior
* CACEI - Consejo de Acreditación de la Enseñanza de la Ingeniería, A.C.
* ACCECISO - Asociación para la Acreditación y Certificación en Ciencias Sociales
* CONAET - Consejo Nacional para la Calidad de la Educación Turística A. C.
* CACECA - Consejo de Acreditación en la Enseñanza de la Contaduría y Administración
* CACEI - Consejo de Acreditación de la Enseñanza de la INgeniería, A.C.
* COMAEM - Consejo para la Acreditaciónb de la Educación Médica, A.C.
* COMAEF - Consejo Mexicano para la Educación Farmacéutica, A.C.
* CONAED - Consejo para la Acreditación de la Enseñanza en Derecho
* CNEIP - Consejo Nacional para la Enseñanza e Investigación en Psicología, A. C.
* ANPADEH - Acreditadora Nacional de Programas de Arquitectura y Disciplinas de Espacio Habitable A.C.
* CAESA - Consejo para la Acreditación de la Educación Superior de las Artes
* COMAPROD - Consejo Mexicano para la Acreditación de Programas de Diseño
* COAPEHUM - Consejo para la Acreditación de Programas Educativos en Humanidades
University facts
* Total Faculty: 763 members, 44% are full-time, 25% belong to the National System of Researchers (SNI)
* Total Students: more than 8,000; in 2004 1,647 new students were admitted, 250 of them were international. Forty percent of the students receive financial aid from the university.
* Study Abroad Programs: International study is offered in more than 300 universities in 30 countries.
* International Students: 1,114 international students came to the university as exchange students.
Honoris Causa degrees
The following is a list of some of the Honoris Causa Degrees awarded by the Universidad de las Américas:
* Dr. William Richardson: Governor of New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, United States
* Dr. José Julián Sidaoui: Deputy Governor of Bank of Mexico
The Bank of Mexico (), abbreviated ''BdeM'' or ''Banxico,'' is Mexico's central bank, monetary authority and lender of last resort. The Bank of Mexico is autonomous in exercising its functions, and its main objective is to achieve stability in th ...
* Dr. Mario Molina
Mario José Molina-Pasquel Henríquez (19 March 19437 October 2020) was a Mexican physical chemist. He played a pivotal role in the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, and was a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role ...
: Scientist and Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry
* Dr. Enrique V. Iglesias: President of the Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...
University activities
UDLAP offers a wide range of on-campus events such as academic, cultural and sporting events, which are open to both students and the local community. The UDLAP Nobel Conference is held two times a year. In this conference Nobel Prize Winners are invited to talk about their work and also their experience being Nobel Prize Winners.
On the cultural side UDLAP offers a wide range of activities in different locations. La Casa del Caballero Aguila and La Capilla del Arte UDLAP are two museums of the university offering concerts, art exhibitions and lectures.
Starting in the summer of 2007, UDLAP has been hosting a summer program for uplifting eighth to tenth graders through CTY
The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a gifted education program for school-age children founded in 1979 by psychologist Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. It was established as a research study into how academically ad ...
, the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.
Notable alumni
Notable faculty
*Luis Ernesto Derbez
Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista (born April 1, 1947, in Mexico City) is a Mexican politician and rector of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). He served as Mexico's Secretary of Economy from 2000 to 2002 and Secretary of Foreign ...
, vice rector for academics in the 1980s
* Nora Lustig
* Roy R. Rubottom, Jr., president 1971–73
References
External links
Official Universidad de las Américas Puebla website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Universidad de las Americas Puebla
Art schools in Mexico
Business schools in Mexico
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Universities and colleges established in 1940
1940 establishments in Mexico
Private universities and colleges in Mexico