The Iberoamericana University, located in Tijuana, Baja California is heir to the more than 400 year heritage of Jesuit education. Our Tijuana campus is the newest branch of the Iberoamericana University Educational System (we also have campuses in Mexico City, Leon, Puebla and Torreon). We are a private institution of higher education open to all faiths and nationalities. The "Ibero" was founded in 1943 by Jesuit scholars, with the essential aim being the preservation, transmission and advancement of culture. Our primary concern is to provide the necessary educational tools so that our students learn how to integrate intellectual growth, self realization and a sense of social justice: this implies creativity, the capacity to think independently and the freedom to assert and establish one's own goals as a person willing to contribute to make this world a better place for all.

We have witnessed many changes in the Tijuana-San Diego area since we established our campus here just over 20 years ago. In fact, Tijuana has grown from a small city of almost 60,000 inhabitants in 1950 to a major metropolis of around 1,800,000 at present. It is the most populated and transited border city in the world. The accelerated growth of the city, the industrial impulse brought about by the North American Free Trade Agreement and tourism have created the need to satisfy the growing demand for professionals in the different fields of human knowledge, with a commitment to living and communicating Christian values, explicit in our educational philosophy.

Because of the need for more adequate and better equipped facilities to meet the local demand for quality higher education, we decided in November, 2000 to build the first state-of-the-art modern library for the people of Tijuana. We designated 2 acres in the middle of our campus for this two story facility that will eventually house 140,000 volumes, as well as a computer center, conference rooms, genealogy center and small auditorium. The Loyola Library Bookmobile is already visiting neighborhoods in the area.

To date, we have spent $2,204,543. of the total project cost of $2,430,000. There is a gallery of photos available to you on the left-hand column, which represent the progress made month-by-month since construction began. The building was inaugurated on December 5, 2003.

We still need to buy and install the heating and air conditioning units, as well as the new electrical transformer. The reading lounge of the library is also sparsely furnished, and computers are badly needed.

Hopefully, we will be able to raise the necessary funds to complete this very ambitious and worthwhile project. For contributors from the United States, we are a 501 (C)3 entity with the IRS titled "The Iberoamericana University Foundation"

If you can help or want more information about the Loyola Library, please contact:

David Ungerleider, S.J.
ungerlei@tij.uia.mx

Tel: (dial from the US) 011-52-664-630-1827
Fax: 011-52-664-630-1591

PO Box 438210
San Ysidro, CA 92143-8210