Jorge Medina Delgadillo assumes the Presidency of UPAEP following the final report of Emilio Baños Ardavín.
Dr. Baños concludes a 13-year period marked by institutional growth and international accreditation.
Dr. Medina becomes the sixth President of UPAEP, committed to ensuring that the University remains both a “critical conscience” and “helping hands” for society.
The Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP) held the presentation of the final annual report of Dr. Emilio José Baños Ardavín as President, followed by the investiture of Dr. Jorge Medina Delgadillo as the University’s new President. Before the Board of Trustees, the University Council, members of the university community, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, business leaders, and representatives of society, both leaders affirmed that UPAEP has distinguished itself as a university that has consistently responded to the challenges of its time.
Emilio Baños Ardavín’s Presidency
During Dr. Baños’s 13-year leadership, UPAEP experienced continuous and sustained growth. Today, the University serves more than 18,000 students and a community of over 80,000 members, including collaborators, faculty, students, and alumni across Campus Puebla, Campus Tehuacán, 10 high schools, and 8 elementary schools.
Over the past year, UPAEP earned international accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission for a six-year term, the maximum period granted during an institution’s initial accreditation review. In addition, the School of Business received international accreditation for 21 academic programs from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Furthermore, 100% of the University’s on-campus undergraduate programs are accredited by national accrediting bodies.
Two milestones that marked both the University and the country also occurred during Dr. Baños’s 13-year term: the launches and orbital deployments of AztechSat-1, a nanosatellite developed in collaboration with NASA, and Gxiba-1, created with the Japanese Space Agency. These achievements positioned UPAEP as a national leader in Mexico’s emerging space era.
As he concluded this chapter of his professional career, Dr. Baños remarked, “I am deeply grateful to this beloved university community for giving me the opportunity to navigate together in this boat, and for always being willing to row into deeper waters.”
He added: “We are living through a complex moment in the history of humanity, and particularly of our beloved Mexico. There are those who feel weighed down, overwhelmed, and immobilized by a pessimism that is often justified; and worse still, it seems there are those who deliberately feed it, provoking polarization and social tension. None of these attitudes reflect the spirit of a true university member, much less that of UPAEP’s eagles.
Dr. Baños urged the university community to keep seeking truth, serving generously, and working for the common good. “Although the assignment changes today, our hope of continuing this journey and building new maps of hope together as a community remains intact.”
Jorge Medina Delgadillo’s Investiture
Following the presentation of the annual report, Dr. Jorge Medina Delgadillo was formally invested as UPAEP’s new President. Jorge Espina Reyes, Chair of the Board of Trustees, presented him with the Venera, the ceremonial insignia symbolizing the authority, academic dignity, and responsibility entrusted to the University President.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Medina expressed profound gratitude for the appointment and acknowledged the responsibility that comes with leading the institution. He thanked the University community for the confidence placed in him.
He emphasized that UPAEP’s mission is not static, recalling a quote by Gustav Mahler often cited by the University’s founding leader, Manuel Díaz Cid: “Tradition does not consist in worshipping ashes, but in transmitting the fire; I will ensure that this identity remains alive, continuing to attract and inspire.” With this commitment, the new President affirmed that the University will continually renew itself to avoid the risk of its identity being relegated solely to memory.
Addressing civil authorities, Dr. Medina reaffirmed that UPAEP will remain an ally in building the future, while also serving as a firm voice in the face of the country’s challenges. In his remarks, he underscored the role of the University as an active social actor: “One of the functions of a university—and UPAEP is no exception—is to be the critical conscience of society. And we will be so out of coherence with our principles, but also out of fidelity to society. What does a nation gain when those who have a voice do not raise it in defense of the vulnerable, of freedoms, and of rights?” He further stressed that the Institution will stand with the people in the face of any ‘wounding injustice.’
“Work is not a commodity, but one of the highest expressions of human dignity,” the new President stated as he addressed social leaders, businesspeople, and society at large, urging them to pursue the common good.
For Medina Delgadillo, the University must be a place that invites action and the willingness to take risks for noble causes, noting that UPAEP was not created for complacency: “This University was not born to tend aquariums, nor to skirt the edges of life without commitments, without risks, without great aspirations. We are a Catholic university, and that fills us with pride—but above all, it commits us.”
Finally, the vision of this new Presidency centers on forming leaders who seek to transform reality through truth and compassion. Addressing students and alumni, Dr. Medina called on them to be disruptive citizens who use their knowledge to serve others. In this spirit, he reaffirmed the Institution’s educational philosophy: “At UPAEP, we do not study to accumulate more knowledge, but to serve better; because we believe that those who dedicate their entire lives to serving others ultimately discover the hidden key to happiness.”
At the close of the ceremony, Jorge Espina Reyes, Chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked Dr. Emilio Baños for his 13 years of service as University President, noting that he leaves behind not only a stronger institution but also a lasting impact on countless lives. “Today you leave behind a university community that is stronger, more united, and more aware of its responsibility to Mexico.” Addressing Dr. Jorge Medina, he added, “You have our full support as you face the challenges of the present.”
Espina Reyes also emphasized that the University cannot remain indifferent to the issues affecting the country, including the suffering of families searching for missing loved ones and the challenges facing the labor sector. He stressed the need to strengthen a genuine alliance among the public sector, business, academia, and society to transform realities from each of our respective responsibilities. This transformation, he noted, depends on the vision and commitment of leaders in every sector to advance the common good above individual interests.
