A monthly look at how Baylor students, faculty, staff, and partners extend learning beyond the classroom—and how you might, too, through research, internships, fellowships, and community-based global learning.
In this edition:
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- Get to know the OEL
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Read our recent news and announcements
- Explore opportunities of interest
- Enjoy our photo of the month!
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Just as we should, we go to great lengths as a university each year to celebrate the students who win major fellowships and awards. I must tell you, though, that it's every bit as joyful to celebrate every student who applies. As you'll see below, we recently held our annual "I Hit Submit!" event for students who applied for the early wave of fall awards—Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, and the like. It's a chance to celebrate hard work and the formative process these applications involve—the courageous efforts applicants make not just to put themselves out there, but to make sense of their lives, name their ambitions, tell their stories. Supporting students and alumni as they bid for fellowships and awards is far from the whole of what we do in OEL, but it's often the most rewarding, allowing us to walk alongside students as they do something earnest and hard. So, to you 69 Fulbright, two Rhodes, two Churchill, and Baylor-record 10 Marshall applicants—as well as the many of you who will soon apply for the Boren, CLS, Truman, Goldwater, Rotary, and others—we are proud of you! Thank you for the privilege that is ours to support your ambitions.
Cheers,
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Andrew P. Hogue, PhD
Associate Dean
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OEL Team Profile: Dustin Benac |
Dr. Dustin Benac serves as the Senior Director for the Future Communities Lab in the Office of Engaged Learning and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences. This Q&A is the eighth installment in our "Get to Know the OEL" series.
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I Hit Submit! Event Celebrates Fall Award Applicants |
The Office of Engaged Learning recently held its I Hit Submit! event to celebrate Baylor's 69 total applicants for the Fulbright US Student Program for this most recent award cycle.
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Learn and Serve in a 1-Hour Philanthropy & Public Service (PPS) Course this Spring |
With topics spanning community health, child poverty, philanthropy, law, sustainability, immigration, tax accounting, housing, and many more, PPS 1100 is a perfect choice for students interested in taking unique and innovative courses that introduce them to a range of topics related to the common good and human flourishing and of local, national, and global importance.
Photo credit: Justin Hamel, The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
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Make Grants to Local Nonprofits this Spring in PPS 4310 Philanthropy and the Public Good |
The flagship course of the OEL's Philanthropy and Public Service (PPS) program, PPS 4310 Philanthropy and the Public Good empowers students to steward $100,000 and grant it to local Waco nonprofits while they learn about philanthropy and the work of nonprofits. Interested students should register to take PPS 4310 this spring or email andrew_hogue@baylor.edu with questions.
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| Launching Application Processes for the Truman, Goldwater, Boren, and Critical Language Scholarships |
Baylor launches the fall 2026 application processes for the Truman, Goldwater, Boren, and Critical Language Scholarships.
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Alumni Spotlight: Sidney Smith ('26), Fulbright Dispatch from Taiwan |
Sidney Smith (B.A. '26, International Studies major) shares her experience as she is currently on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan from 2026-2027.
"As long as I came with a willingness to learn and to try new things, I was demonstrating an interest in learning Taiwanese culture, which led to more opportunities for exchange. After my students took their photo with me, they made me peanut rice congee where they used traditional ways for grinding the rice. From that point forward, the students saw me not just as someone there to teach them English and American culture, but as someone there to learn, and they became 'little teachers.'"
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Department Spotlight: Engaged Learning in Political Science |
From Waco nonprofits to the Texas Capitol to Capitol Hill, Baylor’s Department of Political Science empowers students to build bridges from the classroom to the world.
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I Hit Submit! Event Celebrates Fall Award Applicants |
The Office of Engaged Learning recently held its I Hit Submit! event to celebrate Baylor's 69 total applicants for the Fulbright US Student Program for this most recent award cycle.
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Launching Application Processes for the Truman, Goldwater, Boren, and Critical Language Scholarships |
Baylor launches the fall 2026 application processes for the Truman, Goldwater, Boren, and Critical Language Scholarships.
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Learn and Serve in a 1-Hour Philanthropy & Public Service (PPS) Course this Spring |
With topics spanning community health, child poverty, philanthropy, law, sustainability, immigration, tax accounting, housing, and many more, PPS 1100 is a perfect choice for students interested in taking unique and innovative courses that introduce them to a range of topics related to the common good and human flourishing and of local, national, and global importance.
Photo credit: Justin Hamel, The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
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| Department Spotlight: Engaged Learning in Political Science |
From Waco nonprofits to the Texas Capitol to Capitol Hill, Baylor’s Department of Political Science empowers students to build bridges from the classroom to the world.
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Make Grants to Local Nonprofits this Spring in PPS 4310 Philanthropy and the Public Good |
The flagship course of the OEL's Philanthropy and Public Service (PPS) program, PPS 4310 Philanthropy and the Public Good offers students the opportunity to both learn about and practice philanthropy by making grants to local Waco nonprofits totaling tens of thousands of dollars. Interested students should register to take PPS 4310 this spring.
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Alumni Spotlight: Sidney Smith ('26), Fulbright Dispatch from Taiwan |
Sidney Smith (B.A. '26, International Studies major) shares her experience as she is currently on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan from 2026-2027.
"As long as I came with a willingness to learn and to try new things, I was demonstrating an interest in learning Taiwanese culture, which led to more opportunities for exchange. After my students took their photo with me, they made me peanut rice congee where they used traditional ways for grinding the rice. From that point forward, the students saw me not just as someone there to teach them English and American culture, but as someone there to learn, and they became 'little teachers.'"
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Opportunities of Interest |
We think these opportunities may be of particular interest to students and campus partners in our network.
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International Education Week |
Nov 9–13 | Various times and locations
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Organized by the Center for Global Engagement, International Education Week (IEW) is a weeklong celebration of the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, featuring lectures, presentations, and interactive activities that highlight the profound impact of international education at Baylor.
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IEW Lightning Talks: Scholars Pro Mundo |
Tue, Nov 10 | 3:00-4:00pm | Barfield Drawing Room
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Stop by Dr. Pepper Hour during International Education Week to hear the Scholars Pro Mundo lightning talks: 3–5 minute digital poster presentations by students on their research on an international topic. If you're interested in applying to present, applications are open through tomorrow, October 30.
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| Community, Engagement, and Belonging Undergraduate Student Essay Contest |
Deadline: January 29, 2027
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Sponsored by the Vice Provost for Community Engagement and Belonging, this new Essay Award invites undergraduates from all disciplines to submit a research paper on a topic related to community, engagement, and/or belonging. The top three essays will be awarded a cash prize, along with a certificate and recognition at the OEL's annual banquet in April.
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International Education Week |
Nov 9–13 | Various times and locations
|
Organized by the Center for Global Engagement, International Education Week (IEW) is a weeklong celebration of the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, featuring lectures, presentations, and interactive activities that highlight the profound impact of international education at Baylor.
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IEW Lightning Talks: Scholars Pro Mundo | Tue, Nov 10 | 3:00-4:00pm | Barfield Drawing Room
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Stop by Dr. Pepper Hour during International Education Week to hear the Scholars Pro Mundo lightning talks: 3–5 minute digital poster presentations by students on their research on an international topic. If you're interested in applying to present, applications are open through tomorrow, October 30.
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Community, Engagement, and Belonging Undergraduate Student Essay Contest | Deadline: January 29, 2027
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Sponsored by the Vice Provost for Community Engagement and Belonging, this new Essay Award invites undergraduates from all disciplines to submit a research paper on a topic related to community, engagement, and/or belonging. The top three essays will be awarded a cash prize, along with a certificate and recognition at the OEL's annual banquet in April.
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Our Fulbright applicants took a minute at our I Hit Submit! event to write letters to their congressional representatives thanking them for their continued support of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the opportunities it enables.
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