The academic secretary is the academic and administrative body of the Directorate General which coordinates the academic activities of the five Departments, the Institute’s Graduate Program and the internal and external institutional Collegiate Bodies. Likewise, the Departments of Graduate Studies and Library Services are coordinated through the Academic Secretary.
The five Academic Departments’ activities include knowledge creation, community outreach, and graduate education together with the following Collegiate Bodies coordinated by the Academic Secretary:
The External Evaluation Committee. This is the senior academic Collegiate Body and comprises a select group of international external researchers. This is an advisory board to the governing body that meets annually to assess overall academic performance of the Institute including knowledge creation and implementation, graduate education and outreach activities. The Committee makes recommendations to guide institutional academic work towards excellence.
The Internal Evaluation Commission. It consists of the Heads of the Divisions, the elected academic representatives and the Academic Secretary and is chaired by the General Director. It is an advisor to the General Director that periodically evaluates Faculty to rule on their tenure. It also makes preliminary rulings the category and level of joining academics as well as the applications for promotion and tenure.
The Academic Board. It is an advisory body to the General Director on institutional issues. It consists of Department Chairs, representatives elected by academics, the Academic Secretary and is chaired by the General Director.
The External Ruling Commission. This is an external collegiate body coordinated by the CONACYT definitively rules on the the category and level of joining academics as well as requests for promotion and tenure.
One of the Institute’s major activities, due to its impact, is the education of highly specialized researchers. This activity involves the Institute’s entire faculty: researchers, academic technicians and academic and administrative support staff. In turn, graduate studies are a fundamental part of institutional activities, as they create a synergetic relationship with researchers, collaborating on projects and driving scientific and technological research activities. The institutional graduate program is overseen by the respective faculty boards through the Academic Coordinators. The Academic Secretary coordinates institutional graduate program activities through the Coordinators and through collegiate bodies set up for this purpose.