Francisco Marmolejo (born 1961) is an international educational administrator. Currently, he is the President of Higher Education at the

Qatar Foundation The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development () is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by then-List of emirs of Qatar, emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Miss ...

for Education, Science and Community Development, based in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. From 2012 to 2020, he served as Lead Tertiary Education Specialist of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

. At this institution, he served as Global Coordinator of Tertiary Education from 2012 to 2018, and, from 2016 to 2020 as Lead Education Specialist for India and Asia, based in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Early life and education

Francisco Marmolejo was born in

Ojuelos Ojuelos de Jalisco is a town and municipality in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, being the easternmost municipality in Jalisco. The town's 1990 population was 7,265, although by the year 2010 it had increased to 11,881. It sits at the junction of M ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He graduated from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí

Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí The Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (in ) is a public university in Mexico. It is the largest, oldest, and most comprehensive university in the state of San Luis Potosí, as well as one of the most important ones in Mexico. Among other ...

(UASLP) in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with emphasis in Agri-business. He received a master's degree in business administration from UASLP, and later conducted doctoral work in Organizational Administration at

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

Career in university administration and international education

Marmolejo started his career at UASLP; from 1981 to 1983, he served as Manager of the Experimental Agriculture Station "Las Delicias", and from 1983 to 1987 he worked as Assistant Administrative Dean at the School of Agriculture. In 1989, he was appointed Head of the MBA Program at the Universidad de las Américas (UDLA) in Mexico City, where later he served as vice president for Academic Programs (1990–92) and Vice President for Administration and Finances (1992–94). During his tenure, UDLA obtained accreditation in the United States granted by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(SACS). From 1994 to 1995, he was the first Mexican educator serving as a Fellow of the

American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,600 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educati ...

. He did his fellowship at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

, Amherst. At the end of his ACE Fellowship, he was appointed as founding executive director of CONAHEC, the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, a network of more than 160 colleges and universities from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the U.S. and Mexico where he served until 2012. CONAHEC is the largest and an influential international collaborative higher education network in the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

(NAFTA) region. CONAHEC is headquartered at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, where Marmolejo also served as Assistant Vice President for Western Hemispheric Programs, Affiliated Researcher at the Center for the Study of Higher Education and Affiliate Faculty at the Center for Latin American Studies. Marmolejo is or has been member of advisory and governing boards in various institutions and organizations including the External Advisory Boards at the University of Nuevo Leon (UANL), the University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP),

Universidad de Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara () is a public research university located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was originally established in 1586 and officially founded on 12 February 1791 as the Royal and Pontifical University of Guadalajara. Over the ...

, the Mexican Consortium of Universities (

CUMEX The Mexican Consortium of Universities (Spanish: ''Consorcio de Universidades Mexicanas'', CUMEX) is a selective group of Mexican public higher education institutions, recognized by their higher quality standards. Founded in May 2005, CUMEX has ...

), the Mexican Association of International Education ( AMPEIbr>
WES:

World Education Services World Education Services (WES) is a nonprofit organization that provides credential evaluations for international students and immigrants planning to study or work in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1974, it is based in New York City, New York, U ...

, and the

Compostela Group of Universities The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) is an international non-profit association that promotes and executes collaboration projects between institutions of higher education. It currently has 67 full members, 2 associate members and 9 mutual ...

. He has been member of the Commission of International Initiatives at the

, and of the board of directors at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Marmolejo has consulted for universities and governments in different parts of the world and has been part of

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

(OECD) and

international peer review teams of experts conducting evaluations of higher education in Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He participates in international higher education conferences delivering presentations and lectures on the internationalization of higher education and higher education trends. Marmolejo has authored and co-authored articles on the same topics and chapters in books. He was actively involved in the creation of the Network of International Education Associations (NIEA) which brings together the leaders of the most important international education associations of the world. At NIEA he served as a member of the board. In 2014, the University of San Luis Potosí UASLP awarded him the Honorary Doctorate Degree for his contribution to international education. Also, the

conferred him an Honorary Doctorate Degree in 2017, and NAFSA named him Senior InternationaL Education Fellow in 2018.NAFSA Senior Fellow 2018 https://www.nafsa.org/people/francisco-marmolejo Francisco Marmolejo is married to Olivia G. Cossio. They have three sons, Francisco Jr., Jose, and Juan.

References

External links

CONAHEC

NAFSA: Association of International Educators

World Bank: Tertiary Education

AMPEI: Mexican Association for International Education

Qatar Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marmolejo, Francisco 1961 births Living people Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi alumni National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni University of Arizona faculty University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty