Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. Founded in 1856, the college was affiliated with the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

and was accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(SACS). The college's student body was approximately 975 students when it closed at the end of the 2023–24 school year after years of financial trouble.

History

Gingko Tree at Birmingham-Southern College

Birmingham–Southern College was the result of a 1918 merger of Southern University, founded in

Greensboro, Alabama Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the population was 2,497, down from 2,731 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hale County, Alabama, ...

in 1856, with Birmingham College, opened in 1898 in

. These two institutions were consolidated on May 30, 1918, under the name of Birmingham–Southern College.

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

recognized Birmingham–Southern in 1937, establishing the Alabama Beta chapter. In the 21st century, the school suffered from financial troubles, due to errors in accounting and dwindling enrollment. Although the school explored many avenues to keep the school open, including seeking assistance from the

Alabama legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both cham ...

, the school's board of trustees voted to close the college at the end of the 2023–24 school year, May 31, 2024.

Academics

The college offered five bachelor's degrees in more than 50 programs of study, as well as interdisciplinary and individualized majors and dual-degree programs.

Campus

The campus was situated on 192 wooded acres three miles west of downtown Birmingham. The college had 45 academic, residential, administrative, and athletics buildings/facilities. The campus has been for sale since spring 2024. In September 2024, BSC entered into an agreement to sell the campus to Miles College, but after repeated extensions, BSC ended that agreement in November 2024.

Athletics

The Birmingham–Southern athletic teams were called the Panthers. The college was part of Division III of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) since the 2012–13 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the D-III

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), founded in 1962, is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas. Difficulti ...

(SCAC) from 2007–08 to 2011–12; in the

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), ...

within

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

from 2001–02 to 2006–07; and in the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TranSouth or TSAC) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) from 1996–97 to 2000–01. Birmingham–Southern competed in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports included basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball. The baseball team was 13–10 in the middle of the 2024 season prior to the announcement of closure at the end of the season. They proceeded to go 19–4 and win the super regionals of the 2024 NCAA tournament to advance as one of the final eight teams in the NCAA Division III World Series; the series started on May 31, the day of the closure of the school.

Notable alumni

* William Acker – United States district judge * Robert Aderholt – United States congressman from Alabama (1997–present) * Laurie C. Battle – United States congressman from Alabama (1947–1955) * Amanda Bearse – actress, best known for her role as Marcy on the television sitcom '' Married... with Children''. * Richmond C. Beatty (BA 1926) – academic, biographer and critic *

Harvie Branscomb Bennett Harvie Branscomb (December 25, 1894 – July 23, 1998) was an American theologian and academic administrator. He served as the fourth chancellor of Vanderbilt University, a private university in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1946 to 1963. P ...

– Chancellor,

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

(1946–1963) * Lewis C. Branscomb (1865–1930) – Methodist minister * Charles Brooks – Editorial cartoonist *

Pat Buttram Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (June 19, 1915 – January 8, 1994) was an American character actor. Buttram was known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series ''Green Acres''. He had ...

– Actor (sidekick of

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

in films, and Mr. Haney in the TV series ''

Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television absurdist sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to ''Petticoat Junction'', the series was first br ...

'') *

Miles Copeland III Miles Axe Copeland III (born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager of The Police. Copeland later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producing ...

– Music and entertainment executive, former manager of

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

and cofounder of

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s, during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he ...

– Cartoonist * Charles Gaines – Author, journalist, screenwriter, editor; Cine Gold Eagle Awards, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

* Alexander Gelman – Theatre Director,

Organic Theater Company Organic Theater Company was founded in 1969 in Madison, Wisconsin by artistic director Stuart Gordon and his wife Carolyn Purdy Gordon. History Its first play was a production of ''Richard III'' but harassment from the local officials of Madi ...

, Chicago * Randall Goodgame – Christian singer/songwriter * Rebecca Gilman – American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

* Jennifer Hale – Voice actress * Walker Hayes – Country singer/songwriter * Donald Heflin – American diplomat * Howell Heflin – U.S. Senator from Alabama (1978–1997) * Perry O. Hooper, Sr. – 27th Chief Justice of the

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is hous ...

* Alexa Jones – former Miss Alabama and news reporter * Caitlín R. Kiernan – Paleontologist and fiction aithor *

Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garla ...

– Broadway and film composer and arranger, including movie musical '' Meet Me In St. Louis'', starring Judy Garland. * Walter P. McConaughy – Career diplomat and US Ambassador to Burma, South Korea, Pakistan, and Taiwan. * Bucky McMillan – Head coach, Texas A&M men's basketball * Morgan Murphy – Food critic and author * Joe Nasco – Professional footballer *

Sena Jeter Naslund Sena Jeter Naslund (born June 28, 1942) is an American writer. She has published seven novels and two collections of short fiction. Her 1999 novel, ''Ahab's Wife'', and her 2003 novel, ''Four Spirits'', were each named a ''New York Times'' Not ...

– Author * LaFayette L. Patterson – United States congressman from Alabama (1928-1933) * Gin Phillips – Novelist * Howell Raines – Executive editor, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (2001–2004); Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, 1992 * Ray Reach – Jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, composer, producer and educator. Director of Student Jazz Programs at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. *

Glenn Shadix William Glenn Shadix (April 15, 1952 – September 7, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his roles as Otho Fenlock in Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' and the Mayor of Halloween Town in ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''. ...

– American actor * Daryl Shore – Professional soccer player and coach * Morgan Smith Goodwin – Actress, spokesperson for Wendy's *

Larry Striplin Larry D. Striplin, Jr. (November 11, 1929 – January 23, 2012) was an American college basketball and baseball coach. He was also an influential figure in the state of Alabama's sports, having served on numerous boards for halls of fame. Born i ...

– college basketball coach and businessman * Luther Leonidas Terry – Surgeon General of the United States (1961–1965) *

Butch Thompson Richard Enos "Butch" Thompson (November 28, 1943 – August 14, 2022) was an American jazz pianist and clarinetist best known for his ragtime and stride performances. Music career Thompson was born in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, began ...

– college baseball coach * Martin Waldron (1925–1981) – Winner of the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Pulitzer Prize for Public Service The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journali ...

* Ray Wedgeworth – college basketball, football, and baseball coach * Frederick Palmer Whiddon – President,

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963 and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alaba ...

(1963–1998) * Robert Lee Williams – 3rd Governor of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

(1915–1919) * John H. Yardley – Pathologist

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham-Southern College Buildings and structures completed in 1921 National Register of Historic Places in Birmingham, Alabama Universities and colleges established in 1856 Educational institutions disestablished in 2024 Universities and colleges in Birmingham, Alabama 1856 establishments in Alabama 2024 disestablishments in Alabama Universities and colleges formed by merger in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in Alabama