The one thing you should know about Notre Dame Mexico | News | Notre Dame Mexico

Text '[the]' in gold italics, 'ONE THING' in large white serif font, on a dark blue world map background.

This story is part of Notre Dame Global's series titled "The One Thing."

Notre Dame’s multi-faceted internationalization efforts find diverse and innovative expression at the University’s 12 global locations in 10 countries on five continents.

At each site, Notre Dame implements a three-prong strategy: engage in collaborative and influential research that changes lives; offer integrative learning experiences that develop global competencies and cultural understanding; and forge partnerships that produce transformative engagement.

In a new series that will focus on one of Notre Dame's global locations each month, we will ask each director to share with us “the one thing” they want the Notre Dame community to know about their programs, their achievements, their goals, or their aspirations.

We begin our series with Maria Mercedes Salmon, director of Notre Dame Mexico since January 2023.

What is the one thing you want the Notre Dame community to know about Notre Dame Mexico?

"We have several areas of focus, but I especially want to highlight that our current priority is deepening our intentional research partnerships."

MARIA MERCEDES SALMON: At Notre Dame Mexico, we are working to expand research options throughout our country and all of Latin America for faculty, students—both graduate and undergraduate—and scholars.

Maria Mercedes shakes hands — Maria Mercedes Salmon, director of Notre Dame Mexico, has been been forging partnerships on behalf of Notre Dame since joining the University in 2023.

The undergraduate Puebla study abroad program, which has thrived for 22 years and is recognized particularly for its fall semester pre-health program, put us on the map at Notre Dame, and faculty research has grown steadily through the years. In 2025, 65 Notre Dame faculty members visited Mexico to engage in research, collaborations, lectures, or conferences. Several visits took place through Notre Dame Global—for example, its Mexico Faculty Grant Program, but others were funded by faculty members themselves or their departments, by Notre Dame entities like the Eck Institute for Global Health, or by Mexican institutions.

All of this has brought us to the current moment—when we are ready to assume a larger role at the University. At Notre Dame Mexico, we are focusing on cultivating and managing intentional research partnerships. Key partners span academia, government, industry, philanthropy, and the private sector. The research space includes a wide cross-section of fields relevant to both Mexico and the US—transitional justice, human rights, nanotechnology, engineering, public health, and theology are a few examples.

Among our many notable partners is the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), one of the world’s most prestigious universities—and one whose enormous scale offers myriad opportunities for collaboration.

Why is that one thing—intentional research partnerships—so important to Notre Dame Mexico?

"The Mexico-US relationship as neighbors—with intertwined histories, challenges, and a commitment to finding solutions to those challenges—makes collaboration critical."

MARIA MERCEDES SALMON: Mexico and the US have a unique relationship as neighbors. Certainly, cultural differences exist between the two countries, but it is critical that we are aligned when searching for solutions to our many mutual challenges. Together, we need to educate the next generation of global leaders.

Research for the common good is central to the University’s goals and Strategic Framework—and that is also true of our many current and potential partners in Mexico.

Michael Pippenger and presidents from the universities of the Consorcio Querétaro gather to sign exchange agreement. — In February 2025, Vice President & Associate Provost for Internationalization Michael Pippenger signed an exchange agreement with the presidents of five polytechnic and technological public institutions in Querétaro—a shared commitment to develop the skills needed to create a competitive workforce within several industries in Mexico.

Moreover, Notre Dame’s ties to Mexico date back more than a century. In the 1850s, over 10 percent of the student body was from Latin America and Mexico, with course catalogs, bulletins, and the Scholastic Magazine all published in Spanish. There was even a train that traveled to and from campus and Mexico to transport students. University leaders realized then—as they realize now—that the mission of a university that aspires to be the leading global Catholic research university, with a commitment to the common good, resonates with the largely Catholic populations of Mexico and Latin America.

What does this one thing reveal about Notre Dame Mexico?

"We offer the opportunity to be present in the Global South—and, more broadly, to be in the world and for the world."

MARIA MERCEDES SALMON: Notre Dame’s leaders have confirmed their intention and their responsibility to engage with the Global South. There are countless opportunities for collaboration here, and we are working to encourage scholars to widen their spheres of collaboration past their traditional partners, often in Europe. The sheer number of potential partners makes Mexico an unmatched resource for collaboration.

In Mexico, we can offer opportunities for open dialogue to scholars around the world, particularly those who do not speak English. Thus, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies is planning to host its fourth Global Democracy conference in Mexico City in 2027.

Finally, one particular area to highlight is graduate student research and dialogue. A priority of ours is to recruit graduate students from Mexico and Latin America to attend Notre Dame, and to develop collaborative research partnerships between Notre Dame graduate programs and partners in the Global South. An excellent model is the International Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (iSURE) program, which introduces talented international students to faculty and research at ND.

Learn more about the work of Notre Dame Mexico and the University of Notre Dame’s global network, or browse related articles:

Learn more about the collaborative work and partners of Notre Dame Mexico

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is a prime partner in Mexico for Notre Dame faculty and students

A woman with a red bag points at the colorful mosaic facade of the Central Library, UNAM. A man in a blue shirt looks up at the ornate building under a clear blue sky, standing on a grassy university campus. — The Central Library, UNAM

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is one of the world’s most prestigious universities—and one whose enormous scale offers many opportunities for collaboration.

Though its flagship campus is in Mexico City, UNAM has a number of campuses throughout Mexico and the world. It oversees 26 museums and 18 historical sites. Its more than 40,000 scholars across engineering, the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities teach 350,000 students (including those in 90 master's and doctoral programs).

UNAM’s Mexico City campus is a UNESCO World Heritage site. When Fr. Hesburgh witnessed Juan O’Gorman’s mural on the Central Library, he was inspired to commission the Word of Life mural at Notre Dame. Read more.

One example of a UNAM partnership: Professor Aníbal Pérez-Liñán

Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, a man with glasses on his head, speaks earnestly and gestures at a table. He wears a dark blue jacket and black shirt. A laptop and microphone are visible. Behind him, a large mural depicts a hand and draped fabric in muted tones. — Aníbal Pérez-Liñán at UNAM in 2025

In June 2025, Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, professor of political science and global affairs and director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, visited UNAM’s law school to give a lecture on “The Protection of Supreme Courts in the Era of Democratic Backsliding.” This invitation was facilitated by Notre Dame Global in partnership with UNAM's Law Graduate School.

“My lecture addressed a sensitive topic,” Pérez-Liñán notes, “as it took place just a few days after Mexico implemented a controversial election to replace all members of the Supreme Court and half of its federal and state judges. As a result of this visit, we established a collaboration with colleagues at the Institute for Legal Research (IIJ) at UNAM, and we will organize a joint conference on Latin American political institutions, together with the IIJ and the government of Panama, in Panama City in March 2026.”

A focus on partnerships with Mexico’s Catholic universities

Within its strategy of cultivating and managing intentional research partnerships, Notre Dame Mexico has a special focus on initiatives in partnership with Mexico’s Catholic universities.

A notable example is a collaborative research seed funding initiative with Universidad Panamericana, directed by their Vice President of Research, which will advance our mutual commitment to emerging technologies, bioethical frameworks, ethical scholarship, cultural and societal studies, and human rights research. This initiative comprises three grants of $70,000 each.

Another initiative is a short-term visiting faculty exchange program with Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México, enabling 2-3 faculty members from each institution to conduct one-week visits at the partner campus. These visits are designed to explore research opportunities, foster institutional connections, and identify potential collaborative projects. Initial exchanges will concentrate on data science and artificial intelligence, robotics, economics and migration, human rights, and mental health research. Each institution will contribute $10,000 annually to support this program.

Originally published by Mary Hendriksen at global.nd.edu on January 27, 2026.