This article deals with the teaching of engineering, from an institutional perspective, in Colombia through the political and economic factors that affected the School of Engineering of the National University. Due to political instability and budgetary restrictions, the academic offerings were limited and the survival of the School itself was threatened. This article points to the means through which the Colombian élite strengthened technology and relations with the state. The article also shows how the number and influence of engineers grew as a consequence of the opening of new networks of communication in Colombia.