By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer
Surrounded by a sea of green and gold, Tom Barnard works behind the scenes to create a meaningful college experience for Baylor students. As the self-proclaimed “unofficial campus life photographer,” Barnard captures photos that exemplify the Baylor student experience.
Despite only joining Student Life as associate director for outreach and engagement in 2016, Barnard’s office tells a complete history of the university. Among his favorite relics are a 1925 Baylor diploma, a piece of Pat Neff Hall and a spike from the railroad tracks where the tragic crash resulting in the deaths of the Immortal Ten occurred. Additionally, Barnard creates his own historical artifacts by expressing his love for Baylor through photography via his Instagram account, @tomatbaylor.
When he first started the account, Barnard said he never expected it to grow as large as it did, as it was simply a way to prevent his personal feed from being oversaturated with Baylor content. However, @tomatbaylor soon became one of the most well-known Baylor social media accounts, though it was not affiliated with the university.
“It got popular pretty quick,” Barnard said. “Part of that was because I was connecting with students through it. My focus is on student life, so that’s what I point my camera at.”
Before coming to Baylor, Barnard worked at LeTourneau University in Longview as a marketing professor, also serving as the official campus photographer. His work included a variety of responsibilities, so he said working for Student Life at Baylor allowed him to focus on fewer things at once.
“When I came to Baylor, the thing that I was kind of excited about was having a more narrow scope, but that also meant that I was missing some things, and the big one that I was missing was photography,” Barnard said.
Because he wanted to incorporate photography into his work, Barnard said he used his Instagram account to share pictures in an unofficial capacity. He connected with students, parents, faculty and alumni.
Since coming to Baylor, Barnard has also played a role in establishing other methods of student communication, including the weekly “What’s New BU” letter that includes a list of student activities for the week.
Dr. Sharra Hynes, associate vice president for Student Life and dean of students, served as Barnard’s supervisor for two years. According to Hynes, projects like @tomatbaylor and “What’s New BU” made Barnard stand out among faculty in Student Life.
“Tom has always been willing to jump in and be helpful,” Hynes said. “He really understands how to communicate to the student voice so that students will care and want to read the messages.”
Barnard’s connection with the student population is one of the many reasons why he decided to work at a university — and he said Baylor stood out among other colleges because it sits at the intersection of being unapologetically Christian and offering Division 1 athletics.
“There’s something about being on a university campus that’s not comparable with anything else in life,” Barnard said.
Barnard partakes in a multitude of Baylor traditions, always with his camera at his side. He said some of his favorite events to photograph include homecoming and Spirit Rally, during which he takes photos from a student perspective.
Although Barnard is not an official photographer for Baylor, many students recognize him for his work. Between his official duties as assistant director for outreach and engagement and his unofficial endeavors with photography, people like Hynes consider Barnard an asset to Baylor.
“Some folks who work in our division can have their message be lost in their method, and Tom does a good job of growing the effectiveness of the method, being appropriate to the message,” Hynes said. “I think that has helped us reach a broader spectrum of students.”
Barnard has a deep love for the Baylor community, a sentiment shown through his photography and work within Student Life. He said he considers himself a hobbyist rather than a professional — and with over 8,400 followers and 1,100 posts spanning seven years, his work speaks for itself.
“There’s still good to be had in social media, and that’s the thing that I love,” Barnard said.
