🌎 Vacant Birmingham-Southern College to become USCG Training facility...

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I like this. While I was ok with BSC dying on the vine like they did, I always thought it was a pretty neat campus and I'm glad it's going to be saved and used for the Coast Guard. I remember going to basketball camps in the BSC gym in the 80's... the place was thriving back then.

https://www.al.com/news/2026/03/sold-birmingham-southern-college-campus-has-new-owner.html

 

[alabama mike]

Beautiful photo!

Many small, private colleges are closing because they cannot compete tuition wise with junior/community colleges or adult vocational schools. The list continues to grow since COVID started the trend.

 

[PurlJam]

Graymont/8th avenue Crackheads gonna be pissed.

 

[64Tide]

Bush Hills it used to be called. The original Mt Brook in Bham area.

 

[TerryP]

Beautiful photo!

Many small, private colleges are closing because they cannot compete tuition wise with junior/community colleges or adult vocational schools. The list continues to grow since COVID started the trend.

It reminds me of Oklahoma's campus (visited it before B-ham Southern.) The campus is nice.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

This is a huge win for Bham and the state. Britt and Tubs were instrumental in getting this done. Supposedly, all debtors will be made whole, including City of Bham and ServisFirst Bank.

Unfortunately, the surge in private college and university closings/consolidations is just the beginning. The demographics show college student populations have now peaked, and the U.S. birth rate will drive this. Fewer student visas will accelerate it. @alabama mike much of it is price competition, but it's a numbers game of too few students. The surge in attendance at many of the mainline southern schools is coming at the expense of the northeast (much like retiree demographics); at some point, though, the smaller student populations will come for the auburns, Ole Misses and Bamas. It will work through the secondary southern schools first - and already is, actually.

As opposed to selling this property to another college that is in decline or will have bitten off more than it can chew, this transaction essentially removes a college campus from inventory. It's a win all around. I'd love to see photos of the damage/deterioration that's occurred to the campus since they closed.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

There's also this...

https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2026/03/submarine-plant-will-bring-up-to-1500-jobs-to-this-alabama-community-tuberville-says.html

 

[rick4bama]

I saw that a church will be moving off campus?

 

[psychojoe]

Samford is the anomaly in all of this. For at least the last six years they have registered the largest ever freshman class. They are awash with cash. The school is pricey, but it is rated is rated a good value for the money spent. Perhaps they have been fortunate in having wealthy alumni who have left large gifts in their wills.

 

[psychojoe]

I saw that a church will be moving off campus?

Rick, I think it was a United Methodist Organization that had office space there.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Samford is the anomaly in all of this. For at least the last six years they have registered the largest ever freshman class. They are awash with cash. The school is pricey, but it is rated is rated a good value for the money spent. Perhaps they have been fortunate in having wealthy alumni who have left large gifts in their wills.

Prestigious alumnus @rammerjammer keeps their coffers full.

 

[Krimson]

There's also this...

https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2026/03/submarine-plant-will-bring-up-to-1500-jobs-to-this-alabama-community-tuberville-says.html

Huntsville area just keeps growing while the southern cities in Alabama seem to be doing the opposite.

 

[rammerjammer]

Prestigious alumnus @rammerjammer keeps their coffers full.

I tell everyone that the Samford motto is: "You might find a better education, but you can't pay more."

The fightin' Baptist are proud proud proud of their education.

 

[PurlJam]

There's also this...

https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2026/03/submarine-plant-will-bring-up-to-1500-jobs-to-this-alabama-community-tuberville-says.html

Putting the Barton/Cherokee Alabama area on the map. I can hit the plant with a rock from my job site. It's one massive plant.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Putting the Barton/Cherokee Alabama area on the map. I can hit the plant with a rock from my job site. It's one massive plant.

When I first heard the news yesterday (on the news) I automatically assumed it was just an expansion of some sort down in Mobile at the port.

 

[64Tide]

I tell everyone that the Samford motto is: "You might find a better education, but you can't pay more."

The fightin' Baptist are proud proud proud of their education.

Speaking of Samford, know a guy that played vs them while at JSU. So Coach Burgess is speaking to team during Samford week-those f n Baptists, Terry Bowden, I hate that little sob. He cussing the the Baptist for all their worth. In the middle of his tirade, David Gulledge ask him, “coach, where do you to church”? His response, “Oxford First Baptist”.

 

[PurlJam]

When I first heard the news yesterday (on the news) I automatically assumed it was just an expansion of some sort down in Mobile at the port.

They got a good deal on the building. It used to be Freight Car America/Navistar. The plant is right at 3/4 of a mile long.

 

[psychojoe]

I tell everyone that the Samford motto is: "You might find a better education, but you can't pay more."

The fightin' Baptist are proud proud proud of their education.

We live only a few miles from the Samford Campus, and it is a beautiful place, even with the new additions. I am married to a Samford girl now., so I know a thing or two about their affairs. Two bequests in fairly recent years have amounted to about 150 million. They named their football playing field Bobby Bowden Field, so maybe the Bowdens left them a nickel or two. Still, they are an anomaly.