Alabama A&M to make bid for Birmingham-Southern campus

In an effort to increase its visibility in Alabama’s largest metro, Alabama A&M University may make an attempt to purchase the Birmingham-Southern College campus.

Birmingham-Southern will cease operations at the end of May, and the 192-acre campus will be up for sale. A purchase by AAMU could continue the growth of the university with a Birmingham campus.

Could Alabama A&M purchase Birmingham-Southern’s campus?

Without a doubt, purchasing the Birmingham-Southern campus could mean a huge boost to enrollment at AAMU. Currently, A&M has a student body of close to 7,000 — both undergrad and grad students — and has continued to grow in recent years, setting a record for enrollment in the fall of 2023.

“As the reputation of our University continues to grow and the return on investment is proven by our students and alumni, we expect to attract more talented students to The Hill. This is an exciting milestone as we march toward our 150th anniversary in 2025.”

Dr. Daniel K. Wims, President, Alabama A&M University at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year

Although no details of the possible purchase have been released, officials with Alabama A&M confirmed Monday that the school is currently in discussions with Birmingham-Southern about the possible purchase of the BSC campus.

A considerable number of AAMU alumni live in Birmingham, and roughly 10 percent of the student body is from Birmingham, so having a Birmingham campus would make sense.

Other potential buyers

Alabama A&M is not the only party interested in buying the Birmingham-Southern campus. In addition to possibly dozens of private investors or developers, other schools in the state have also expressed interest in the campus.

According to State Senator Rodger Smitherman, who had been a strong and vocal advocate for keeping BSC open, multiple colleges in the state have also contacted BSC about possibly buying the campus. In fact, according to our sister publication — Bham Now — more than one HBCU has expressed interest in the Birmingham campus.

“Miles College, Alabama State and a consortium of HBCUs are also vying to purchase the school as well. The main thing is that we get back to the economic impact that Birmingham-Southern provided, and we make sure that we won’t have any abandoned buildings in that part of our city.”

Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham)

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

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