About the Mexico Global Gateway
Global Gateways represent and increase the visibility of The University of Texas at Austin in strategic world regions to advance research collaborations, expand and deepen partnerships, encourage academic exchanges, facilitate scholarly symposia, and engage alumni. UT Austin has collaborated with institutions across Latin America for more than a century, sharing with them a rich history of academic discovery and intercultural exchange.
Located on the campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, the Mexico Global Gateway connects UT Austin with leading universities, academic institutions, private foundations, nonprofit agencies, government organizations, and industry representatives to develop opportunities in Mexico and the region to:
- Engage UT Austin faculty in collaborative research and creative activities;
- Provide enhanced international learning experiences for UT Austin students, including study abroad programs, research opportunities, internships, and short-term exchanges;
- Conduct outreach to prospective students interested in UT Austin’s academic programs
- Connect regional alumni with UT Austin by engaging them in university activities.
About the Director
Valerie Cárdenas Dugal serves as the inaugural director for The University of Texas at Austin’s Mexico Global Gateway. She is responsible for supporting and coordinating UT Austin’s academic and alumni engagement initiatives in Mexico and the region.
Ms. Cárdenas joins UT Austin with a distinguished career advocating for and facilitating academic mobility between the United States and Mexico. She served as deputy director of bilateral relations at the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), where she promoted collaboration agreements with more than 10 countries; implemented exchange and mobility programs with strategic partners; and coordinated Jóvenes en Acción, a binational program with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to promote leadership skills for high school students.
Ms. Cárdenas also served as director for interinstitutional partnerships at the National Association of Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES), where her responsibilities included promoting special summer programs with higher education institutions in the United States and representing ANUIES in the English and Labor working groups at the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESII).
See the Mexico Global Gateway contact page to get in touch with Valerie.