Dr. Sylvia Mendez is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Dr. Mendez’s research centers on the educational attainment and schooling experiences of Mexican descent youth in the mid-20th century, creating optimal higher education environments for student success, and effective faculty mentoring practices. She teaches foundations and research courses in the Inclusive Early Childhood Education BI Program, Inclusive Elementary Education BA Program, Leadership MA Programs, and the Educational Leadership, Research, and Policy PhD Program.

Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
University of Kansas - 2007

M.S., Student Affairs in Higher Education
Colorado State University - 2003

B.A., Economics
Washington State University - 2001

LEAD 1000 Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Foundations of Education

LEAD 5600 Social Foundations of Educational Trends

LEAD 5610 Social Foundations of Higher Educational Trends

LEAD 5700 Introduction to Research and Statistics

LEAD 7600 Doctoral Research Lab

LEAD 8600 American and Comparative Foundations of Education

Recent Publications

• Witkowsky, P., & Mendez, S. L. (2018). Influence of a short-term study abroad experience on professional competencies and career aspirations of students in student affairs professional preparation programs. Journal of College Student Development, Research in Brief, 59(6), 769-775.
• Mendez, S. L., Witkowsky, P., Morris, P., Brosseau, J., & Nicholson, H. (2018). Student veteran experiences in a transition seminar course: Exploring the Thriving Transition Cycle. Journal of Veterans Studies, 3(2), 1-18.
• Radigan, P., & Mendez, S. L. (2018). Historical research. In B. Frye (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation (pp. 783-785). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Mendez, S. L., Yoo, M., & Rury, J. L. (2017). A brief history of public education in the United States. In R. A. Fox & N. K. Buchanan (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of School Choice (pp. 13-27). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley and Sons.
• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Keith, R., Haynes, C., & Gerhardt, R. A. (2017). Mentorship in the engineering professoriate: Exploring the role of Social Cognitive Career Theory. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 6(4), 302-316.
• Mendez, S. L., Witkowsky, P., Allee, A., Christensen, B., & Stiles, C. (2017). Sorority ritual participation and self-efficacy.  Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, 12(1), 1-19.
• Mendez, S. L. (2017). Educational injustices and claiming dignity and space: Reflections of Chicano high school activists. Journal of Intercultural Disciplines, 16, 188-204.
• Witkowsky, P., Kumm, C., Mendez, S. L., Kling, H., Ogunbowo, O., & Morris, P. (2016). Comparing military-connected and non-military connected students’ orientation experiences. The Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 24(1), 78-83.
• Mendez, S. L., Wehrman, J. D., & Williams, R. (2016). Exploring school counseling and principal candidate internships: Observations of the principal-counselor relationship. The Field Experience Journal, 18, 71-93.
• Witkowsky, P., Mendez, S. L., Clayton, G., Ogunbowo, O., & Hernandez, N. (2016). Non-traditional student needs: Collegiate inclusion perceptions. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 64(1), 30-41. doi: 10.1080/07377363.2016.1130581

Recent Presentations

• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Tygret, J., Johanson, K., Gosha, K., Gerhardt, R. A., & Haynes, C. (2019). Navigating a career in academia: Insights from emeriti engineering faculty. Paper proposed for the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association, Toronto, Canada.
• Gosha, K., Mack, N., Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Johanson, K., Gerhardt, R., & Haynes, C. (2019). Virtual faculty mentoring: Can it be accomplished through embodied conversational agents? Paper presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Atlanta, GA.
• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Haynes, C., Gerhardt, R. A., & Tygret, J. (2018). The IMPACT mentoring program: Exploring the benefits of mentoring for emeriti faculty. Paper presented at the 2018 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT (2018 Best Paper Award by the Faculty Development Constituency Committee).
• Grandorff, C., Heasley, P., & Mendez, S. L. (2018). Academic (in)equalities in knowledge exchange: Why students from around the globe study abroad. Paper presented at the 20th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece.
• Witkowsky, P., & Mendez, S. L. (2018). Influence of short-term study abroad on student affairs
  graduate students. Paper presented at the 2018 Annual Convention of the American College     Personnel Association, Houston, TX.
• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Tygret, J., Haynes, C., & Gerhardt, R. A. (2018). Do mentoring needs differ between early- and mid-career faculty?: Exploring the engineering professoriate. Paper presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC.
• Haynes, C., & Gerhardt, R. A., Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Tygret, J., & Keith, R. (2017). Expansion of Increasing Minority Presence within Academia through Continuous Training (IMPACT). Poster presented at the 2017 NSF Engineering Education and Centers Grantees Conference, Arlington, VA.
• Haynes, C., Gerhardt, R. A., Conley, V. M., Mendez, S. L., & Keith, R. (2017). A mentoring paradigm for URM and emeriti engineering faculty: Does quantity of contact determine the quality of the relationship for mentees? Poster presented at the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, OH.
• Haynes, C., Gerhardt, R. A., Conley, V. M., Mendez, S. L., & Keith, R. (2017). A symbiotic solution for facilitating faculty transitions in engineering academia. Paper presented at the 2017 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education Research Association, Columbus, OH.
• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Keith, R., Haynes, C., & Gerhardt, R. A. (2017). A new mentoring and advocacy networking paradigm: Pairing URM and emeriti engineering faculty. Paper presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association, San Antonio, TX.

Mendez, S. L., & Conley, V. M., “Collaborative Research: The AGEP Engineering Alliance: A Model to Advance Historically Underrepresented Minority Postdoctoral Scholars and Early Career Faculty in Engineering,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation AGEP (18-21008), Federal, $514,819 (Collaborative Total: $2,249,372). (Funded: January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2023). 

Conley, V. M., & Mendez, S. L., "Increasing Minority Presence within Academia through Continuous Training (IMPACT)," Sponsored by National Science Foundation INCLUDES DDLP (17-44500), Federal, $84,832 (Total: $299,856). (Funded: September 8, 2017 – September 7, 2019).

• 2018-Present    Office of Inclusion and Academic Affairs Steering Committee Member
• 2017-Present    Student Activity Fee Advisory Committee Member
• 2017-Present    CU Faculty Council Equity and Inclusive Excellence Taskforce Member
• 2017-Present    University Center Advisory Board Member
• 2017-Present    Clyde’s Cupboard Advisory Board Member
• 2017-Present    Gateway Program Seminar Advisory Group Member
• 2014-Present    Campus Assessment Associates Member
• 2014-Present    Additional Space Request Committee Member
• 2013-Present    Compass Inclusiveness Advisory Group Member
• 2013-Present    Graduate Executive Committee Member
• 2013-Present    Fraternity and Sorority Greek Life Advisory Board Member
• 2013-Present    RPT Committee Member
• 2013-Present    Dean’s Academic Leadership Team
• 2008-Present    Asian Pacific Islander Student Union Faculty Advisor
• 2007-Present    Faculty Minority Affairs Committee Member (COE Representative 07-16)