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Following months of closure talks related to ongoing financial issues, the Board of Trustees at Birmingham-Southern College voted unanimously Wednesday to remain open, AL.com reported.
The private Alabama college has made appeals to state and local authorities in recent months, requesting a $37.5 million lifeline, which lawmakers have not delivered, despite concerns of closure. Birmingham-Southern has also launched an effort to raise $200 million by May 2026.
The meeting on Birmingham-Southern’s fate lasted more than eight hours, according to AL.com.
Though lawmakers have suggested a public bailout for the private college is unlikely, a statement from BSC Board of Trustees chairman Reverend Keith D. Thompson indicated otherwise. He noted in a news release after the vote that the board had “made the informed and thoughtful decision to keep Birmingham-Southern open” and that the college has “been working closely with our allies in state and local government to secure bridge funding.”
BSC’s financial crisis dates back more than a decade. In 2010 it was discovered that errors in administering financial aid cost the college millions of dollars, which then prompted layoffs. The college has also struggled in other areas in the past, including significant leadership turnover. Birmingham-Southern has also struggled with falling enrollment in recent years.
