A look at who could buy the campus of Birmingham-Southern

WVTM 13 NEWS AT SIX STARTS NOW. BATTLED TO GET NEEDED FUNDING TO STAY OPEN. COMES TO A CLOSE AS BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE IS CEASING OPERATIONS. GOOD EVENING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE AT 6:00. I'M BRITTANY DECKER I'M GUY RAWLINGS WVTM 13 S JARVIS ROBERTSON SPOKE WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVE JUANDALYNN GARVIN ABOUT BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN CLOSING WHAT DID SHE TELL YOU? JARVIS? WELL, GUY, I ASKED REPRESENTATIVE WONDERLAND. GAVIN IF THE WORK TO KEEP BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE OPEN DONE IN VAIN. SHE SAYS THAT THE PROCESS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN HOW IT WAS. SHE WENT ON TO SAY THAT SHE BELIEVES MORE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE LOOP AS LEGISLATION WAS BEING DONE TO KEEP THE CAMPUS OPEN. NOW, AS YOU KNOW, SCHOOL LEADERS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR OVER A YEAR TO KEEP THIS CAMPUS OPEN. THE SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTED THIS MORNING TO CLOSE. NOW THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT DECISION FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR, WHEN THEY VOTED IN APRIL TO REMAIN OPEN. NOW, BSC'S ENDOWMENT FUND RAN LOW DUE TO SPENDING FROM THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION THAT CAUSED THE MONEY ISSUES. THEY HAD A GOAL OF RAISING $200 MILLION BY MAY OF 2026, AND HAD RAISED $45 MILLION OF THAT LAST YEAR THROUGH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EFFORTS. GAVIN IS HOPEFUL THAT ANOTHER INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING WILL PURCHASE THIS CAMPUS. SO THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATION AS TO WHAT COULD BE DONE WITH BIRMINGHAM, SOUTHERN ALABAMA A&M. IT COULD BE A FACTOR FOR. HAVE THEY REACHED OUT TO YOU? I'VE TALKED WITH THE PRESIDENT LAST YEAR ABOUT IT. NOT AS MUCH THIS YEAR. UH, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME RUMBLINGS, UM, SOME OF THEIR ALUMNI IS VERY, VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN, IN, UH, ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS. NOW, BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN IS SET TO CLOSE ON MAY 31ST. IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER, LAST YEAR, SCHOOL OFFICIALS, THEY DID APPLY FOR A LOAN WITH THE STATE FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING. HOWEVER, THAT WAS DENIED BACK IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. ALSO, STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY ON SPRING BREAK, BUT WHEN THEY RETURNED, INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS WILL BE HELD WITH THOSE STUDENTS NEEDING TO TRANSFER TO GO OVER THEIR OPTIONS. ALSO, THE SCHOOL SAYS THAT THEY DO PLAN TO HELP THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT WILL BE DISPLACED AFTER MAY 31ST. NOW, COMING UP TONIGHT AT TEN, YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM ONE STUDENT THAT I SPOKE WITH WHO'S ACTUALLY GRADUATING IN MAY, ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT THE NEWS HE WANTED TO HEAR, HE'S STILL LOVES THIS COMMUNITY. AND THIS SCHOOL. REPORTING LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM I'M JARVIS ROBERTSON, WVTM 13 JARVIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AS YOU JUST MENTIONED SAVING BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN HAS BEEN AN ONGOING EFFORT NOT ONLY FOR THE SCHOOLS. PRESIDENT. CITY AND STATE LEADERS, BUT ALSO THE STUDENTS. IN NOVEMBER, DOZENS OF STUDENTS MADE THE TRIP SOUTH TO MONTGOMERY, HOPING TO MEET WITH STATE TREASURER YOUNG BOOZER, WHO DENIED THE COLLEGE'S APPLICATION FOR AN ALMOST $30 MILLION BRIDGE LOAN. THEY DIDN'T TALK TO BOOZER, BUT THE STUDENTS WANTED HIM AND OTHERS IN A POSITION TO HELP SAVE THE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE. KNOW HOW THESE DECISIONS ARE AFFECTING THEM. MY HEART BREAKS FOR THE FUTURE PANTHERS THAT MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO COME, AND WE ARE HERE FOR THEM. AND WE WANT TO SAY, RAISE OUR VOICES FOR THEM. DO MY PERSONAL FAILURES, FAMILY ISSUES AND FINANCIAL TROUBLES. THERE WAS ONE THING THAT REMAINED CONSTANT THE LOVE AND DEDICATION TO MY GROWTH AS A HUMAN BEING. THE BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN PROVIDED NOW IS MATTHEW DALE, A SENIOR AT BSC FROM THE BUSH HILLS COMMUNITY. HE SAYS LOSING THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS NOW A REALITY, WOULD BE DEVASTATING TO THE WEST BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY. FOR THE LATEST ON THE FUTURE OF BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE, OR TO TAKE A LOOK AT ITS HISTORY, LOG ON T

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A look at who could buy the campus of Birmingham-Southern

Since it's official that Birmingham-Southern College will cease operation May 31, many people are wondering what will happen to the campus.State Rep. Juandalynn Givan said she was somewhat stunned to hear the school that sits in her district is closing."This absolutely is a stain on everybody, I take the stain even on myself. I represent that area, and I've done so proudly for 14 years," said Givan.WVTM wanted to know what's next in the process. For years, there has been speculation of other institutions wanting to purchase the property. Givan told us other schools are interested, and that there's been conversation about what could be done with BSC."Alabama A&M could be a factor. I've talked with their president last year about it. Not as much this year. There have been some rumblings some of their alumni is very, very much interested," she said.She called it a community within a community. It sits next to Interstate 59, with easy access."We'll have to see if there's a buyer in the market. If Birmingham Southern is solidly or in a posture in which they know that there's no chance, then the question is going to become would they liquidate with a sale? What would they do? I don't think the campus will sit dormant. Beautiful campus. You have too much on that campus." Givan told us Alabama State University and Miles College have been mentioned, too. She wouldn't be surprised if UAB expressed interest since they are "a stone's throw away" from BSC. However, neither school has confirmed that to WVTM.There's no doubt the school's closing will have an impact on the Bush Hills neighborhood. But what kind of impact is hard to say right now."Nobody wants to see the structure, 190-something plus acres that is sitting dormant," Givan said. "It begs for crime. It begs for damnation and doom; blight, possibly. So you have a lot of issues that will have to be addressed."This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Since it's official that Birmingham-Southern College will cease operation May 31, many people are wondering what will happen to the campus.

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan said she was somewhat stunned to hear the school that sits in her district is closing.

"This absolutely is a stain on everybody, I take the stain even on myself. I represent that area, and I've done so proudly for 14 years," said Givan.

WVTM wanted to know what's next in the process. For years, there has been speculation of other institutions wanting to purchase the property. Givan told us other schools are interested, and that there's been conversation about what could be done with BSC.

"Alabama A&M could be a factor. I've talked with their president last year about it. Not as much this year. There have been some rumblings some of their alumni is very, very much interested," she said.

She called it a community within a community. It sits next to Interstate 59, with easy access.

"We'll have to see if there's a buyer in the market. If Birmingham Southern is solidly or in a posture in which they know that there's no chance, then the question is going to become would they liquidate with a sale? What would they do? I don't think the campus will sit dormant. [It's a] Beautiful campus. You have too much on that campus."

Givan told us Alabama State University and Miles College have been mentioned, too. She wouldn't be surprised if UAB expressed interest since they are "a stone's throw away" from BSC. However, neither school has confirmed that to WVTM.

There's no doubt the school's closing will have an impact on the Bush Hills neighborhood. But what kind of impact is hard to say right now.

"Nobody wants to see the structure, 190-something plus acres that is sitting dormant," Givan said. "It begs for crime. It begs for damnation and doom; blight, possibly. So you have a lot of issues that will have to be addressed."

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.