Originally Posted: April 6, 2017
Last week marked the official opening of the SMU Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center, an action-oriented, research policy center looking to understand and explore the dynamic political, cultural, economic and business relationship between Texas and Mexico. The center celebrated its opening with a private dinner April 6 and the center’s first annual symposium Friday, April 7.
 Geronimo Gutierrez |
The symposium featured a keynote luncheon address from Geronimo Gutierrez, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States.
“The center will help shape important regional and national conversations on topics such as education, trade and energy – topics that impact our communities every day,” said Luisa del Rosal, founding executive director of the center. “As a research policy center, it is a place not of rhetoric, but of facts and idea sharing. Our unique mission will influence policy questions and carry out the critical goals of engaging and mentoring our next generation of leaders.”
The Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center is part of the Dedman College of Humanities and Science, in partnership with the Cox School of Business. It is a sister center to Dedman College’s John G. Tower Center for Political Studies.
“The Texas-Mexico economic integration under NAFTA is one of the great global success stories of the past 20 years,” said Albert Niemi, Dean of SMU’s Cox School of Business. “The SMU Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center will provide great research opportunities for Cox students and faculty.”
The Center was made possible by a $4 million gift from GRUMA-Mission Foods.
Friday’s symposium included five panels from each featuring a Texas expert and a Mexico expert discussing one of the Center’s five focus areas of the cross-border relationship: trade and Investment, Mexico’s energy reform, immigration, border issues, and human capital and education.
The symposium concluded with a keynote luncheon featuring Geronimo Gutierrez. Gutierrez was appointed Mexico’s Ambassador to the United States in January. READ MORE