 On December 5, 2011, Mendenhall was one of several university presidents, chancellors, and higher education representatives invited to the White House by President Obama to discuss the cost of college and improving education.In 2012, Mendenhall testified to the United States Senate Higher Education Committee regarding innovations in college affordability.In 2010, Mendenhall was honored with the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education for creating educational ideas that work and scaling them up to improve student achievement.