Zapopan, Jalisco; September 7, 2026. The Guadalajara campus of theUniversidad Panamericana is celebrating its 45th anniversary today, having established itself as one of the most prestigious private educational institutions with the highest academic standards in western Mexico.
Since its founding on September 7, 1981, the university has remained steadfast in its commitment to the well-rounded education of the individual, scientific research, and the constant pursuit of truth in the service of society.
Origins and Founding Vision
The origins of the Guadalajara campus can be traced back to the vision of philosopher and businessman Carlos Llano Cifuentes, founder of the UP-IPADE system, and to the determination of a distinguished group of business leaders from Jalisco led by Don Jorge Garciarce Ramírez, the first president of the Board of Trustees. The initiative sought to decentralize the country’s higher education of excellence and provide the region with a university model characterized by high academic standards and deep humanistic roots.
With the laying of its cornerstone in the Ciudad Granja neighborhood—at that time a rural area of the municipality of Zapopan—the university began academic operations under the leadership of its founding president, Sergio Villanueva Varela, Esq. The inaugural session in 1981 brought together a community of 90 students enrolled in three pioneering bachelor’s degree programs: Business Administration and Finance, Industrial Engineering, and Industrial Relations.
45 Years of Growth and Impact in Jalisco
Over the course of four and a half decades, the presence of the Federal Housing and Urban Development Agency ( Universidad Panamericana ) drove the urban and economic transformation of Zapopan, turning Ciudad Granja into a hub for development, services, and high-value housing.
Currently, the campus offers more than 20 undergraduate programs, as well as a wide range of graduate programs and an infrastructure that includes laboratories, technology, and spaces dedicated to research and higher education.
This growth has been accompanied by the consolidation of an educational model that seeks to integrate technical and scientific knowledge with a philosophical, ethical, and humanistic education.
Under the motto Ubi spiritus, libertas —“Where there is spirit, there is freedom”— Universidad Panamericana s maintains the holistic development of the individual as one of the cornerstones of its educational philosophy.
Institutional Maturity and Future Projects
Forty-five years after its arrival in Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara ( Universidad Panamericana ) is tackling the new challenges of higher education with a vision focused on innovation, research, and the generation of knowledge with social impact.
As part of this anniversary celebration, the administration led by Dr. Abraham Mendoza Andrade reaffirms that the university’s prestige does not lie in isolation, but rather in its ability to act as a force for change in the face of complex socio-environmental challenges.
Gratitude for a Legacy
On this day, as the Guadalajara campus celebrates its “sapphire anniversary,” its president, Dr. Abraham Mendoza Andrade, emphasizes how knowledge and service are a great legacy that must be protected and fostered.
“Celebrating our 45th anniversary in Guadalajara invites us to look back with gratitude on what we have inherited and, at the same time, to ask ourselves what the future demands of us. This campus was founded with the clear mission of educating people capable of putting their knowledge and work at the service of others. As part of the 60th anniversary of the Universidad Panamericana, this milestone reminds us that the best way to honor our history is to continue engaging with our community and to contribute, through who we are, to positively transforming our society,” said the fourth rector, following the tenures of Sergio Villanueva, Juan de la Borbolla, and José Antonio Esquivias.
As it marks 45 years of academic presence in Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara ( Universidad Panamericana ) reaffirms its commitment to training professionals and leaders with a human touch, as well as to generating knowledge that contributes to the development of Jalisco and Mexico.
