Birmingham-Southern College

Come join us as we mark this milestone moment with gratitude and grace.

Alumni who are active or retired clergy (any faith/denomination) are invited to be part of the procession. If that’s you, please email us at [email protected] for details.

The service will be live streamed; the link will be posted here that day.

BSC will hold a Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday, May 31, at 3 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church in gratitude for the divine providence that led to the Coast Guard purchase of the campus.

While the very best outcome would have been a thriving, stable BSC for generations to come, the handoff of the Hilltop to the Coast Guard -- who is committed to honoring the BSC legacy -- is surely the next best.

The BSC Alumni Choir will sing, and readings, prayers, and a couple of lovely surprises are in store for all.

Additional details to come, but please save the date and plan to join us. BSC no longer has the capacity to send mass emails, so please help spread the word to alumni, especially those who are not on social media.

The United States Coast Guard has selected the Birmingham-Southern College campus as the location of a new training center.

Upon the closing of the sale, the Coast Guard will take possession of the 192-acre campus on Birmingham’s west side and will begin work to refit it as a training center for USCG officers and enlisted personnel.

“Although we will always grieve the closing of our beloved college in 2024, we believe the sale of our campus to the Coast Guard for this purpose – supporting the training, education, and ongoing development of the people who serve in our nation’s premier maritime protection force -- is a terrific outcome for our city, our state, and the neighborhood we called home for more than 100 years,” said the Rev. Keith D. Thompson, chair of the BSC Board of Trustees.

“While getting to this point has been a long, sad, and challenging journey for everyone who loves Birmingham-Southern, the Board of Trustees is confident that this is the right decision,” Thompson added. “We welcome the Coast Guard to the Hilltop knowing they will bring significant value, vibrancy, and security to our community.”

U.S. Sen. Katie Boyd Britt, who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, was instrumental in securing top-level approval of the project, said Daniel B. Coleman, BSC’s 16th and final president. “We are deeply grateful to Sen. Britt for her leadership and her tireless efforts – along with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, who is a graduate of the College – to ensure that this project remained a top priority in Washington.

“We also want to thank Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and the Birmingham City Council, and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, in whose district the campus sits, for their steadfast support through these challenging times,” he added. “This outcome is truly a remarkable win for Birmingham and for Alabama.”
BIG

Join the BSC family as we celebrate the season with the 89th Service of Lessons and Carols.

Yes -- you read that right. The Alumni Choir will convene again on Friday, December 5, for "Forward, Ever – Always: BSC’s 89th Service of Lessons and Carols," at 7 p.m. at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook.

Since September, more than 70 BSC graduates have rehearsed weekly in person and via livestream to learn, re-learn and polish a program selected from the College’s vast music library.

The 2025 service will be conducted by Dr. James Bagwell, BSC Class of 1988, an internationally renowned choral and orchestra conductor and a professor of music at Bard College in New Yorks’s Hudson Valley. Bagwell, a native of Corner, Ala., also conducted the 2024 service.

Neurologist and longtime choir member Dr. Thomas C. Head '85 has served as rehearsal conductor for 2024 and 2025, accompanied by Richard Charles Phillips '81, the choirmaster and organist at Highlands United Methodist Church. Scripture lessons will be read by Jennifer Howard Waters '85; John Lemley '90; Laura Sisson '79; and former BSC track and field coach Kenneth Cox.

The service, which is free and open to the public, will also air on Alabama Public Television on Monday, December 22, at 8 p.m.

Check out photos from this week's rehearsal, and save the date. Because as the legendary J. Hugh Thomas said, "Nobody has Christmas like we do."

Per his wishes, there will not be a funeral for Dr. Lewis Patterson.

However, a memorial service is being organized by Lora Vaughn and Marietta Cameron, date and place to be determined.

When details are available, we will post them here.

If you want to help, please message the organizers at [email protected] or [email protected].

The BSC community was deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Lewis Patterson, a longtime faculty member and campus resident.

Since he had no immediate family, we are working on next steps to honor his life and tend to his affairs, and will post updates here and on the BSC alumni page.

Please beware of posts like this. They are unauthorized and are likely scams.

If you have received a 2024 tax document from BSC that does not look right, please do the following ASAP:

Email [email protected] with your full name, current address, cell phone number, date of birth, last four digits of the SSN, and a brief description of the issue.

PLEASE DO NOT post that information in a comment below -- just email as requested.

We will connect with the team who prepared the documents and get any issues resolved as quickly as possible.

Thank you --

If your name appears on the list below, you have received a 2024 tax document from an employer or other entity via mail at the old campus address.

If you spot your name below, please email [email protected] ASAP with your current mailing address and a cell phone number.

PLEASE DO NOT comment on this post with that information; send it as requested to the email address.

If you have not yet received a tax document (W-2, 1098-T, 1099) from BSC, or if your tax document doesn't look right, please watch for a separate post on what to do about that.

Thank you --

Jaden Barber
Taylor Bentley
Charles Bonifer
Deyby Castro
Alexandra Clark
Rena Faust-Holden
Reagan Gage
Jimmy Gillespie
Briah Hargrove
Hilliard D Hilliard
George C. Jones, Jr
Joey Kiernan
Rick Alan Lester
Erin Lewis
Mary H Morton
Ka'lony Palmer
Christopher Rubin
Leon Hayden Saltz
Caroline Short
Bryanna Malea Williams

www.lgfcu.org

2024 tax forms will be mailed by Jan. 31, 2025. If you have changed addresses since June 30, 2024, be sure you have an active forwarding order with the USPS.

And as a reminder: Information on how to order transcripts can be found at www.bsc.edu in the Student/Alumni section.