Birmingham-Southern Announces Abrupt Closure

Inside Higher Ed

Josh Moody

March 27, 2024

After a year-and-a-half of uncertainty, Birmingham-Southern College will close in May.

College officials announced the decision on Tuesday, citing steep financial difficulties and the failed revision of a state loan program created to provide a lifeline for the institution.

Lawmakers sought to save Birmingham-Southern last year by passing legislation to establish an unusual loan program for private colleges. But State Treasurer Young Boozer III—who was responsible for administering the loan—denied BSC’s application last fall, arguing in a statement that the college “did not meet the collateral requirement in the statutory minimum requirements,” and therefore represented a “terrible credit risk.” Jabo Waggoner, the BSC graduate and state lawmaker who authored the legislation to save his alma mater, sought to revise his bill this year to minimize Boozer’s role in approving the loan.

However, with the legislation expected to face an uphill battle, college officials pulled the plug before the bill reached a final vote.

A Sudden Closure

After 168 years in business, Birmingham-Southern is suddenly in its last semester. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to close the institution on May 31.

“This is a tragic day for the College, our students, our employees, and our alumni. But it is also a terrible day for Birmingham, for the neighborhoods who have surrounded our campus for more than 100 years, and for Alabama,” Board of Trustees Chair, Keith D. Thompson, said in a news release.

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