Dr. Sylvia Mendez is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She is engaged in several National Science Foundation-sponsored collaborative research projects focused on broadening participation in STEM academia. Dr. Mendez’s research centers on the creation of optimal higher education policies and practices that advance faculty careers and student success, as well as the schooling experiences of Mexican-descent youth in the mid-20th century. 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

• Mendez, S. L., Cooksey, S. E., Starkey, K. E., & Conley, V. M. (2021). The socialization of engineering postdoctoral scholars. Journal of Further and Higher Education, Ahead-of-Print, 1-15.

• Agbonlahor, O., Mendez, S. L., & Bingham, A. (2021). Examining post-graduation career plans of international doctoral students in the United States. Journal of Education and Practice, 12(20), 19-30.

• Haisley, P., Grandorff, C., Agbonlahor, O., Mendez, S. L., & Hansen, M. (2021). Why study abroad?: Differences in motivation between US and international students. Journal of Global Education Research, 5(2), 185-201.

• Mendez, S. L., Starkey, K., Cooksey, S., & Conley, V. M. (2021). Environmental influences on the STEM identity and career intentions of Latinx STEM postdoctoral scholars. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 1-19.

• Yoo, M., Mendez, S. L., Ellis-Frischmann, N., Noeller, S., & Wallner, D. (2020). What our secondary textbooks miss: Infusing Mexican American history into U.S. social studies curriculum. Journal of Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 10(2), 39-49.

• Tygret, J., Mendez, S. L., Arndt, A., Lovato, D., & Scott, M. (2020). The need for collaboration: Experiences and perspectives of preservice principals and school counselors. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 13(4), Article 3.

• Mendez, S. L., Ellis Frischmann, N., & Calhoun, L. (2020). Experience matters, but so do limited resources: Faculty perceptions of their self-efficacy and controllability in assessing student learning. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 20(8), 86-97.

• Mendez, S. L., Johanson, K., Conley, V. M., Gosha, K., Mack, N., Gerhardt, R. A., & Haynes, C. (2020). Chatbots: A tool to supplement the future faculty mentoring of doctoral engineering students. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 15, 373-392.

• Mendez, S. L., Tygret, J., Conley, V. M., Haynes, C., & Gerhardt, R. A. (2020). Exploring the mentoring needs of early- and mid-career URM engineering faculty. The Qualitative Report, 25(4), 1186-1203.

• Mendez, S. L., Tygret, J., Johanson, K., Conley, V. M., Gosha, K., Gerhardt, R. A., & Haynes, C. (2020). Navigating a career in academia: Insights from emeriti engineering faculty. Journal of STEM Education Research, 3(4), 217-231.

Recent Presentations

• Hubbard, I., Sinclair, R., & Mendez, S. L. (2021). Student receptivity to social-emotional learning opportunities: Viewpoints of secondary educators. Paper presented at the 2021 National Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Ketchum/Sun Valley, ID.

• Morales, D., Maida, K., Cegielski, O., & Mendez, S. L. (2021). Enhancing the learning environment: Secondary teachers’ perceptions of culturally relevant education. Paper presented at the 2021 National Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Ketchum/Sun Valley, ID.

• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Cooksey, S., Starkey, K., Haynes, C., McCoy, T. Higgs, F., Hicks, I., Clark, C., Arnett, N., & Stuhlsatz, M. (2021). Exploring the mentoring needs of engineering postdoctoral scholars of color: Is systematic change required in the postdoctoral training environment? Paper presented at the 2021 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Virtual.

• Mendez, S. L., Johanson, K., Sinclair, R., Conley, V. M., Haynes, C., Gerhardt, R. A., & Gosha, K. (2021). Goal-match mentoring: A new strategy for faculty of color in engineering academia. Paper presented at the 2021 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Virtual.

• Carpenter, D., Mendez, S. L., Taylor, J., Dias, J., McCann, K., & Palmer, J. (2021). Understanding STEM Identity using the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics High School Longitudinal Study. Paper presented at the 2021 International STEM in Education Conference, Vancouver, Canada.

• Tygret, J., Green, P., Mendez, S. L., & Lane, H. (2021). Promoting faculty responsibility: Connecting and building relationships with first-year students in higher education. Paper presented at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual.

• Taylor, J., Carpenter, D., Dias, J., McCann, K., Palmer, J. & Mendez, S. L. (2021). An examination of the relationship between STEM identity and postsecondary indicators using High School Longitudinal Study, 2009. Paper presented at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual.

• Mendez, S. L., Taylor, J., Starkey, K., Cooksey, S., Conley, V. M., & Stuhlsatz, M.  (2021). Exploring the effects of institutional research level on engineering PhD recipients’ post-graduation plans. Paper presented at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual.

• Agbonlahor, O., Bingham, A., & Mendez, S. L. (2021). Factors predicting international students’ post-graduation career plans: Do financial sources and home country classification matter? Paper presented at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual.

• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Starkey, K., & Cooksey, S. (2020). Latinx Undergraduate STEM experiences: Igniting STEM identity & STEM career interests. Poster presented at the 2020 AAC&U Conference on Transforming STEM Higher Education, Virtual.

• Mendez, S. L., Conley, V. M., Cooksey, S., & Starkey, K. (2020). To be, or not to be, a professor: Views of engineering postdoctoral researchers. Paper presented at the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Virtual.

• Moon, C. D., Heasley, P., Mendez, S. L., & Long, S. (2020). Freeing their HIPs: Integrating high-impact practices and faculty autonomy. Workshop presented at the 2020 General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment Conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Jacksonville, FL.

• Mendez, S. L., Ellis Frischmann, N., & Calhoun, L. (2020). Assessing student learning: Faculty perceived behavioral control. Poster presented at the 2020 General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment Conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Jacksonville, FL.

• Mendez, S. L., Holmes, S., Pino, M., & Brown, T. L. (2020). Student mentoring: Aligning campus efforts to self-identified student needs. Paper presented at the 2020 Annual Convention of the American College Personnel Association, Nashville, TN.

• Mendez, S. L., Ellis Frischmann, N., & Calhoun, L. (2020). Experience matters: Faculty perceptions of their self-efficacy and controllability in assessing student learning. Paper presented at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC.

Smith, J., Daniels, E., Mendez, S. L., Skop, E., & Song, H. “Adaptation Project CREST - Changing Research Experiences, Structures, and (in)Tolerance through the Adaptation of Promising Equity Practices,” Sponsored by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE (8108403), Federal, $996,096. (Funded: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2024)

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 the 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 the National Science Foundation INCLUDES DDLP (17-44500), Federal, $84,832 (Collaborative Total: $299,856). (Funded: September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2021)