The University of South Alabama’s Office of Community Engagement hosted its first bus tour for faculty and staff, taking them to Baldwin Preparatory Academy in Loxley and Bishop State Community College in Mobile. The tour was designed to strengthen relationships between the university and the community partners it works with on education and workforce initiatives.
Baldwin Preparatory Academy is a full-time public high school for students in grades 10 through 12 that emphasizes hands-on career training alongside traditional coursework. During the visit, USA staff toured collaborative learning spaces and saw 12 career pathway courses of study, including health sciences, cybersecurity, welding, cosmetology and barbering, graphic design and advertising, and culinary arts. Students at the academy wear uniforms tied to their chosen academic focus.
Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley, USA’s vice president for community engagement, said the tour was meant to build on relationships the university already has with both institutions. “The purpose of this tour was to create an opportunity to continue building meaningful relationships between South and our community partners,” Billingsley said, adding that the university remains focused on economic and workforce development alongside community engagement.
USA maintains a supportive agreement with Baldwin Preparatory Academy and an articulation agreement with Bishop State Community College that allows Bishop State graduates to pursue a bachelor’s degree through Pathway USA.