The course is not discipline-specific, but “student-specific,” Senior Lecturer of biology and course instructor Tammy Adair said. Though the course is open for any student to register for, the Office of Engaged Learning sends out calls to professors for recommendations in order to select students with interests and ambitions that the course specifically tackles. Many of the students who take it are nominated.

Dr. Eric Ames, associate director for advancement, exhibits and community engagement at Baylor’s Texas Collection, said in an email that this tour gives people a chance to view Waco history at a ground level through the streets of downtown as well as through the viewpoint of the Black experience.

“Our internship program is sought after by doctoral intern applicants because it provides powerful experiences in helping therapists grow both professionally and personally,” he said.

While 2024 wasn’t a Big 12 Championship year for many Baylor sports, it was a winning year for the faculty, as Dr. Stephen Sloan, professor of history and the director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor, took home the first-ever Big 12 Faculty of the Year award.

“This is an exhibit that shows us a truly turbulent moment in the history of the United States-Mexico borderlands,” Hinojosa said. “It shows us not only the tragedy of its history, but also the resiliency of its people. As a state, we have not done our duty in documenting and teaching those realities. This exhibit sheds light on that complex history, and it is public education at its best.”