Faculty Portrait

Contact Information

Name: Dr. Elvia Ramirez

Title: Professor

Email: eramirez@csus.edu

Office Phone: 916-278-5856

Mailing Address: 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6013

Office Hours: Spring 2025 - TBA

Faculty Bio

Dr. Elvia Ramirez received her Ph.D. in Sociology from University of California, Riverside. Her research interests include college choice, doctoral (Ph.D.) education, immigration studies, and social inequality. Her research and scholarship are grounded in critical intersectional frameworks and women-of-color feminisms. 

An award-winning teacher, Dr. Ramirez enjoys working with students and is passionate about student success. Like bell hooks, she believes that excitement and serious intellectual engagement can, and should, co-exist in the classroom setting. She was the recipient of the 2020-21 College of SSIS Outstanding Teaching Award and the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at UC Riverside. 

Dr. Ramirez served as the 2018-19 President of the California Sociological Association (CSA), becoming the first Latina woman in CSA history to serve in this leadership position. She currently serves as Coordinator of the CRISJ Research Mentorship Program, an undergraduate research program that aims to provide students with quality research experiences, faculty mentorship, and preparation for graduate school. She also serves as webmaster for the Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association. For her contributions to the campus community, she was awarded the 2022-23 College of SSIS Outstanding University Service Award.

Selected Publications

Google Scholar Profile

Ramirez, E. (Ed.). Latinx Migration & the U.S.-Mexico Border: An Anthology. Cognella Publishers. Preliminary edition. 

Ramirez, E. (2020). "Inequality in the graduate school admissions process: The Chicanx/Latinx experience." In J. Brooks, H. Sarabia, & A. K. Ida (Eds.), Race & Ethnicity: The Sociological Mindful Approach. Cognella Publishers.

Ramirez, E. (2018). "Navigating positive and hostile department climates: Experiences of Latino/a doctoral students." In A. Standlee (Ed.), On the borders of the academy: Challenges and strategies for first generation graduate students and faculty. Syracuse University Graduate School Press.

Ramirez, E. (2017). Unequal socialization: Interrogating the Chicano/Latino(a) doctoral experience. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(1), 25-38.

Ramirez, E. & Mirandé, A. (2015). Autoethnography/insider testimonios, common sense racism, and the politics of cross-gender mentoring.  In Caroline S. V. Turner & Juan Carlos Gonzalez (Eds.), Modeling mentoring across race/ethnicity and gender: Practices to cultivate the next generation of diverse faculty. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishers.

Ramirez, E. (2014). "Que estoy haciendo aqui? (What am I doing here?)": Chicanos/Latinos(as) navigating challenges and inequalities during their first year of graduate school. Equity & Excellence in Education, 47(2), 167-186.

Reese, E., Ramirez, E., & Estrada-Correa, V. (2013). The politics of welfare inclusion: Explaining state variation in legal immigrants' welfare rights. Sociological Perspectives, 56(1), 97-130.

Ramirez, E. (2013). Examining Latinos/as' graduate school choice process: An intersectionality perspective.  Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 12(1), 23-36.

Ramirez, E. (2011). “No one taught me the steps": Latinos’ experiences applying to graduate school. Journal of Latinos and Education, 10(3), 204-222.

Barajas, M., & Ramirez, E. (2007). Beyond home/host dichotomies: A comparative examination of gender relations in a transnational Mexican community. Sociological Perspectives, 50(3), 367-392.

Reese, E. & Ramirez, E. (2002). The new ethnic politics of welfare: Struggles over legal immigrants’ rights to welfare in California. Journal of Poverty, 8(3), 29-62.

Selected Leadership & Service

Coordinator, CRISJ Research Mentorship Program, Sacramento State

Webmaster, Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association, 2024-26

Chair, CRISJ 'Building Justice' Podcast Committee, Spring 2024

Member, Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan Fall Symposium Planning Committee, 2022-23

Member, Board of Directors, Pacific Sociological Association, 2021-23

Planning Fellow, Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan, Division of Inclusive Excellence, 2020-21

Member, University Appointment, Retention, Tenure, and Promotion (UARTP) Committee, 2021-24

Co-Chair (Faculty), Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association, 2020-2022

Moderator, Write On! An Interdisciplinary Community, Sponsored by the Division of Inclusive Excellence, 2020-21

Program Director, Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program, 2020-23

President, California Sociological Association, 2018-19

Chair, Committee on Diversity and Equity (CODE), 2014-17

Council Member, Race, Gender, & Class Section of the American Sociological Association, 2011-14

Member, Committee for the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Pacific Sociological Association, 2008-11

Selected Honors and Awards

Microcredential in Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses, Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), 2024. 

Research Enhanced Support Grant award, Academic Affairs & ORIED, Sacramento State, 2023-24.

Outstanding University Service Award, College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies, Sacramento State, 2022-23.

Anchor University Collaborative Research Fellowship, Sacramento State, 2022-23

Nominated as an "Inspirational Poderosa" by the 2022 Outstanding Chicana/Latina Poderosas Mural Project, Sacramento, CA

Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies, Sacramento State, 2020-21

Women of Influence Award (Faculty), Sacramento State, 2020-21

Institute for Social Research Faculty Research Fellowship, Sacramento State, 2009-10

University of California All Campus Consortium on Research for Diversity (UC ACCORD) fellowship

Outstanding Teaching Assistant of the Year Award, University of California, Riverside

Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Committees

Miguel Lopez (2023). “Counselor Burnout: Latina/o/x Counterstories from School Counselors in Public High Schools with Caseloads of Over 350 Students.” Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.), California State University, Sacramento.

Arturo Anaya Servin (2022). “La Jura: How Santa Paula Chicanx Parents Experience Policing.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Armanee Bland (2022). “An Intersectional and Content Analysis of Print Media Coverage on Mass Shootings.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Mayra Adame (2022). “Educational Outcomes: The Effect of High School Factors on College Enrollment Among Students of Color.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Kristina Marie Mayorga (2022). “Mexicanistas Native Mujeres of Aztlan, California.” Behavioral Science Gender Equity Studies, College of Education, California State University, Sacramento.

Eric Alfredo De León (2020). “Farmworkers and Education: Parental Participation in their Children’s Schooling Among Farmworkers.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Patsy V. Jimenez Arellano (2019). “Comunidad, Educacion, y Sueños: An Analysis of Career Aspirations for Undocumented Youth.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Mariela W. Hernández-Torres (2019) “The Impact of DACA on the DACAmented and UnDACAmented.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Daisy Aguilar (2018). “Examining the Experiences for Diverse Women in Settings of Higher Education: An Intersectional Analysis.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Cha Lao (2018). “The Search for Educational Resources: A Study of the Hmong Student Experience.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Lorena Camargo Gonzalez (2017). “Latinas’ Experience in an Educational Leadership Doctoral Program.” Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling, California State University, Long Beach.

Elden Oswaldo Hernandez (2016). “The Challenges Faced by Latino Undocumented Scholars in their Pursuit of Higher Education.” College of Education (Curriculum and Instruction), California State University, Sacramento.

Jessica Castellon (2015). “Shaping Latino/a Graduate School Aspirations and Expectations During Undergraduate Education: An Analysis of Sense of Belonging and Faculty Mattering.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Maria Consuelo Barron Nevarez (2014). “A Chicana’s Testimonio of the Graduate School Experience: An Intersectional and Standpoint Analysis.” Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Mark Andrew Carnero (2014). “The Filipino American Identity Post Colonization: Theories and the Impacts of Peer Group Membership. Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento.

Brenda-Joyce Newman (2010). “Interpreting and Implementing Federal Law at the State and Local Level: The Racialization of Discipline.” Department of Government (Political Science), California State University, Sacramento.

Selected Media Interviews, Presentations, and Podcasts

Professional Associations

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

American Sociological Association (ASA)

California Sociological Association (CSA)

National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS)

Pacific Sociological Association (PSA)

Languages

English and Spanish

 

CRISJ Mentoring Program

The Center on Race, Immigration, and Social Justice (CRISJ) sponsors a research program for undergraduate students at Sacramento State. The program aims to provide students with access to research experience, faculty mentorship, and preparation for graduate school. See link below for more information.

CRISJ Mentoring Program