Struggling private Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama says it will close at end of May

Birmingham-Southern College, a private liberal arts college in Alabama, will close at the end of May after running into financial difficulties and being unable to secure a financial lifeline from the state, officials announced Tuesday. The Alabama Legislature created a loan program last year to provide financial help to distressed colleges, but state Treasurer Young Boozer denied the school’s loan application. The college said in a news release that conversations with House leadership “confirmed that the bill did not have enough support to move forward.” Supporters of the legislation had hoped to keep the college open not just for the sake of the institution, but because of the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods if the 192-acre campus is shuttered Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said news of the closure is “disappointing and heartbreaking to all of us who recognize it as a stalwart of our community.” “I’ve stood alongside members of our City Council to protect this institution and its proud legacy of shaping leaders. Birmingham-Southern Provost Laura K. Stultz said the college is working on agreements with other institutions to helps students “maximize the transfer of credits to keep them on track.” The school dates to 1856, when Southern University was founded in Greensboro, Alabama.