Sylvia Hurtado

Sylvia Hurtado is Professor in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, and the division of Higher Education and Organizational Change. As a first generation Latina college student from San Antonio TX, she studied sociology of education in college. Influenced by these experiences, her scholarship focuses on student educational outcomes, campus racial climates, and equity and inclusion in higher education. She served as director of the Higher Education Research Institute (UCLA) for over a decade and is former President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). She served on the Board of Higher Education and Workforce of the National Research Council and was on study panels that produced several National Academy Press reports on STEM, student success, and mentoring. She was elected to the National Academy of Education and American Educational Research Association Council in 2019. Dr. Hurtado has led several national research projects, including NIH-sponsored projects on the longitudinal assessment of students aspiring for STEM careers and institutional strategies to broaden participation in STEM. Current research includes case studies of departments that implement culturally aware mentoring among faculty (NIH U01) with the University of Wisconsin; university organizational change as a result of student-centered programs, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and a Spencer-funded project on organizing for student success at Hispanic Serving Institutions. Dr. Hurtado is an alumna of UCLA (Ph.D.), Harvard Graduate School of Education (M.Ed.) and Princeton University (A.B.).