Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Mission and Vision
Mission
We are an educational institution in Mexico dedicated to technological education. Our mission is to cultivate professionals, researchers, and innovators who contribute to the social, humanistic, sustainable, economic, and technological development of our country. Our objective is to gain international recognition by fostering a culture of creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation among our students. We prioritize building strong partnerships with the business and social sectors while upholding our institutional values and principles.
Vision
By 2036, we envision ourselves as a high-quality technological education institution, characterized by a focus on sustainability, a strong sense of identity, and international recognition. We strive to be among the top universities in the world, achieved through international collaboration with leading schools and research centers. Our leadership will be defined by our contributions to science and technology, making a meaningful impact while upholding a sense of social responsibility. We value diversity and gender equity, fostering an inclusive environment for all.
Politecnical Identity
Coat of Arms
The initiative to establish the insignia that would distinguish the nascent IPN institution was driven by the students' concerns. In 1944-1945, the National Federation of Technical Students (FNET) issued a call for submissions to create a coat of arms representing the IPN's member schools. The first prize was given to student Armando López Fonseca, who won with the support of his classmate Jorge Grajales. In 1948, the coat of arms was updated while retaining its basic components.
Motto: "La Técnica al Servicio de la Patria"
This phrase was used by some students long before the formation of the IPN, but it was at the first National Congress of Technical Students, held in Chihuahua in 1937, that then-student Jes Robles Martnez was elected president of the National Federation of Technical Students (FNET) and proposed a slogan to represent the student organization's ideals. Initially, the slogan "La Técnica al Servicio de una Patria Mejor." was coined, and it was intended to be used as a corollary to all of its suggestions. This slogan was eventually changed to "La Técnica al Servicio de la Patria," which embodies the IPN´s ideals.
Anthem of the IPN
During the administration of General Director Eugenio Méndez Docurro (1959-1962), preparations for the XXV Anniversary of the IPN's Foundation were made, and a request was issued to design the Institute's Anthem. Carmen de la Fuente, a teacher and poet, was the winner of the lyric contest (1915-2013). Following that, a competition to select the music was held, which was won by Armando González Domínguez, professor of music education at Bellas Artes. The Politécnico Anthem was first performed on August 19, 1961, for the XXV Anniversary of the new IPN of Zacatenco, which was attended by Adolfo López Mateos, Mexico's then-President.
History
A strategy was developed in 1932 to combine and appropriately structure a technical education system. IPN alumni Narciso Bassols, Luis Enrique Erro, and Carlos Vallejo Márquez all played important roles in this project.
In 1936, Juan de Dios Bátiz, a senator in Congress, and Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, president of Mexico, proposed carrying out the educational postulates established during the Mexican Revolution, which resulted in the establishment of the IPN.
The IPN was created to promote development and equity, to support the country's industrialization process, and to provide educational opportunities for all segments of the population, particularly socially disadvantaged populations.
Institutional Elements
The IPN mascot
Mascots are common at higher education institutions and their sports groups. The IPN, not to be outdone, has a white donkey as its mascot. The most popular legend of its genesis is that in the 1930s, while the area where the IPN was to be built was being readied in the former Hacienda de Santo Tomás, a white donkey was abandoned on the field. When the first team's students and soccer players saw the sad animal, they quickly adopted it as a mascot. The white donkey became one of the IPN's symbols over time, particularly in sports.
Decalogue
Because I want to be a man, and I value my responsibilities over my rights. For conviction rather than circumstance, * To achieve universal conquests and offer them to my people, * Because I suffer in my innards for the Fatherland and aim to alleviate its ills, * Because I burn with the desire to rouse the sleeping brother To light a torch on the Fatherland's altar. Because I respect myself and feel obligated to respect my institution. Because my respected independence as a young man and student forces me to respect this confinement. Because I translate my flag's trichrome as work, duty, and honor.
Cheering chant
American soccer was one of the sports that expanded alongside the establishment of the IPN. It has now become an institution, and as a result, it has had a significant impact on the supporters who have burst into cheers to support the IPN soccer team with the "chiquitibum" and the "huélum," the institutional cheer song used today. "In 1937, knowing that I had developed a series of battle chants shouted by IPN soccer players, I was approached by a gang of boys and girls who constituted one of the earliest cheering groups," Víctor Chambón Burgoa, author of the "huélum," recalled on March 16, 1985. I proposed they use the word "huélum" instead of "strike, strike!" to rouse the students. We also decided not to utilize the interjection "rah, rah" because it was previously used in the "Goya" (the UNAM chant) and is a commonly used term in the United States. One girl told me she thought the IPN was the "Gloria," while another was determined to come up with something incredibly catchy, and thus "cachiporra" was born. After a few hours of speaking and debating, the official IPN combat music was completed.
