Former president of Tecnológico de Monterrey joins ASU faculty
Rafael Rangel Sostmann, the former president of Mexico’s largest private, nonprofit educational system, has joined the faculty of Arizona State University.
Rangel, who previously led Tecnológico de Monterrey, has been appointed ASU Presidential Professor of Practice for Education Innovation and special advisor to the president. He will help to advance university initiatives in the areas of innovation education and community outreach and will assist with positioning ASU internationally.
ASU has a long-standing relationship with Tecnológico de Monterrey. The two institutions have partnered on several initiatives including entrepreneurship and innovation programs, and programs on biotechnology and online education. ASU and Tecnológico de Monterrey jointly launched the Latin America Office of the Global Institute of Sustainability.
“Dr. Rangel has played an integral role over the last decade in helping ASU to realize its objectives related to enhanced access, collaborative learning and research, and global engagement.,“ said ASU President Michael Crow. “As the former head of one of Mexico’s most prestigious universities, he has an in-depth understanding of our New American University goals and the knowledge and expertise to help us attain them. I look forward to continuing my work with Dr. Rangel to take ASU to the next level in terms of innovation, community embeddedness and international reach.”
Rangel’s 26-year tenure as president at Tec brought a wealth of growth to the organization that is comprised of four educational and research institutions.
These include Tecnológico de Monterrey, with an enrollment of more than 100,000 students on 31 campuses; the Virtual University, with an enrollment of about 13,000 master’s degree students and about 60,000 students of continuing education, about 15,000 K-12 teachers receiving training per year, and more than 2,000 community-learning centers throughout the country; TecMilenio University, which offers career-focused degrees with an innovative curriculum and has an enrollment of more than 33,000 full-time students; and the Tec Health System that includes two renowned medical centers and several specialty clinics.
Rangel promoted knowledge-based economic development and entrepreneurial spirit among students and opened 34 business incubators and 14 technology parks on the campuses. He made sure that all the programs included a strong component of humanities, applied ethics and civic education. To facilitate faculty and student exchange programs, he opened 22 liaison offices around the world.
Rangel earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He has been a recipient of many international awards, including La Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica, given by Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, and six honorary doctoral degrees from Florida International University, University of British Colombia, Arizona State University, Georgetown University, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Carnegie Mellon University.