Rice developing connections in Mexico

Rice developing connections in Mexico
Exchange agreement with Universidad de Monterrey signed

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News Staff

Chances are that quite a few business, academic and government leaders in Mexico have been thinking about Rice University more often as a result of Rice representatives heading south of the border in November.  Visits since this past spring are part of a concerted strategy to build stronger bridges in Latin America.

Latin America is central to several objectives of the Vision for the Second Century: becoming an international university, expanding Rice’s partnership with the city of Houston and fostering collaborative relationships with other institutions.

President David Leebron accompanied a delegation from the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) on a business-recruitment mission to Mexico City Nov. 26. Led by GHP Chair John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil, the delegation met with several multinational companies and an organization of Mexico’s top 21 CEOs. Trade between Mexico and Houston exceeded $17.8 billion last year, making Mexico Houston’s largest trading partner.

“The relationship between Houston and Mexico has tremendous potential to grow in the years ahead, and Rice intends to play an important part in broadening and deepening those ties,” Leebron said. “Rice’s own strategic plan includes a commitment to building a significant relationship with Mexico, and many Rice leaders are working on a daily basis to achieve that.”

Leebron will travel to Mexico in spring 2008 as part of Rice’s Latin America Initiative.

David Vassar, assistant to the president for international collaborations, accompanied Houston Mayor Bill White and an official trade delegation from his office Nov. 16 to Monterrey, Mexico. The delegation met with Jose Natividad Gonzalez Paras, governor of the state of Nuevo Leon, who signed a trade agreement with the city of Houston.  That agreement involves cooperation in the areas of trade, education, energy, information technology, logistics, life sciences, environment, tourism, culture and the arts. Vassar will serve on a subcommittee on education and present Rice’s perspective as the mayor’s Bilateral Cooperation Committee implements the agreement.

The delegation also visited a Whirlpool manufacturing plant that specializes in research and development rather than traditional assembly-line work.

“Mexico is no longer only a low-cost labor force,” Vassar said.  ”It is developing as an important strategic partner for Rice and Houston.”

Vassar said he is involved with the mayor’s International Trade and Development Committee as part of Rice’s effort to be more engaged with the city.

José Aranda, Pedro Alvarez, Barbara Harrison and Vassar visited Mexico City Nov. 27 to explore potential areas of research collaboration, student exchange
and programming. They met with the academic dean from the American School Foundation, one of the elite prep schools, and visited Instituto Tecnol