Universidad Panamericana to announce the appointment of Dr. Laura Trujillo Liñán, Research Professor at the School of Communication (Mexico City campus), as President of the Media Ecology Association (MEA) for the 2026–2027 term.
Having previously served as Vice President of the association, Dr. Trujillo Liñán becomes the first Mexican scholar to serve as president of this organization, which was founded in 1998 and is dedicated to the study of media environments through the intellectual traditions of thinkers such as Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, and Walter Ong.
“Assuming the presidency represents a greater intellectual and ethical responsibility for me: not only to support the association’s vision, as I did during my vice presidency, but now to strategically guide its academic direction, international reach, and the consolidation of its theoretical legacy,” stated Dr. Trujillo Liñán.
From Mexico to the Global Stage: A Strategic Outlook
The appointment, officially announced on the MEA website, places Universidad Panamericana the forefront of the global academic dialogue on the impact of technology on culture, education, and society.
““This appointment is not only personal, but institutional. It represents international recognition of the academic work carried out at Universidad Panamericana in the fields of communication, humanities, philosophy, education, and technology,” she emphasized.
During her tenure as Vice President, Dr. Trujillo Liñán led strategic initiatives that are now yielding significant results. Among them is the organization of the 2025 MEA Conference, held in Mexico with the participation of Universidad Panamericana— Universidad Panamericanaevent she described as “a turning point in building collaborative bridges” between the institution and the association.
A Strategic Agenda with UP-Impact
Among the flagship initiatives to be led by the new president are:
- Establishing a formal partnership with the journal *Frontiers in Communication*, thereby strengthening a high-impact academic publication channel.
- Organizing the 27th MEA Convention in Winnipeg, Canada—hometo Marshall McLuhan for several years—where Dr. Trujillo Liñán will deliver her first official address as President.
- Developing a joint program with Universidad Panamericana, described by Dr. Trujillo Liñán as “one of our flagship initiatives.”
In addition, the new executive board will seek to foster formal partnerships with universities across Latin America and Europe, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects, international traveling seminars, and joint publications in Scopus-indexed journals.
Academic Innovation and the Development of Future Generations
A central pillar of her leadership will be fostering generational renewal within the field. Dr. Trujillo Liñán plans to create dedicated spaces for students and early-career researchers at conferences, through academic mentorship programs, and via international calls for collaborative research.
“My goal is to foster stronger engagement among students and faculty in these research areas, which are essential in light of the technological changes we are currently experiencing,” she stated.
As part of this vision, she will also promote the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence as educational resources to make media ecology more accessible to younger generations, integrating technology with critical thinking.
A Message to the UP Community
Dr. Trujillo Liñán concluded with a message addressed to the faculty and students of Universidad Panamericana:
“This appointment is also an invitation for more UP professors and students to actively participate in global academic networks and to recognize that meaningful contributions to worldwide intellectual debates can be made from Mexico.”
With this international recognition, Universidad Panamericana only celebrates an individual achievement, but also reaffirms its commitment to generating knowledge with a humanistic perspective and global reach.
Learn more about Universidad Panamericanaresearch initiatives: https://www.up.edu.mx/investigacion-noticias/
