Birmingham-Southern College

File:BSC Seal.jpg

Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) is a 4-year, private liberal arts college in the College Hills neighborhood of western Birmingham. Founded in 1856, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. As of 2005 there are approximately 1500 students from 30 states and 23 foreign countries. Birmingham-Southern is in the top tier of National Liberal Arts Colleges in U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges 2005, the highest tier a liberal arts college can attain in the annual rankings, and is the highest ranked liberal arts college in Alabama. The College also is recognized by the John Templeton Foundation Honor Roll as one of 100 schools nationwide that emphasize character-building as an integral part of the college experience; as among the 100 "Colleges Worth Considering" compiled by Washington Post staff writer Jay Mathews; as one of "America's Best Christian Colleges" by Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc.; as one of the nation's top 30 colleges by The Washington Times; and as one of The Princeton Review's Best 357 Colleges. Birmingham-Southern is one of only six baccalaureate-liberal arts institutions in the country so classified by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to hold both AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation—and the designation of Phi Beta Kappa. Each year, Birmingham-Southern ranks #1 in Alabama and among the nation's best in percentage of all graduates accepted to medical, dental, or health-career programs; the college also ranks high nationally in graduates accepted to law school.

History

Birmingham-Southern College is the result of a merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Alabama, in 1856, with Birmingham College, opened in 1898 in Birmingham, Alabama. These two institutions were consolidated on May 30, 1918, under the name of Birmingham-Southern College.

In 1824, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church recommended that each conference establish a seminary of learning under its regulation and patronage. Not until 1854 did the Alabama Conference undertake to carry out this recommendation of the superior body. In that year, a committee was appointed to select a site for the proposed college and to procure funds for its establishment and maintenance. The charter was granted by the State of Alabama on January 25, 1856, and the first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on March 17, 1856; January 25 is therefore known as Charter Day for the College, and March 17 has been designated as Founder’s Day.

After the State was divided into two Methodist conferences, the North Alabama Conference, in 1883, joined with the Alabama Conference in the support of Southern University.

At the session of the North Alabama Conference held at Tuscaloosa in November 1896, work was begun toward establishing a college within the bounds of this conference. In the fall of 1897, the foundation for the first building was laid in Birmingham. In April 1898, a president was elected and a faculty was chosen and organized. The Conference then surrendered its interest in Southern University and, in September 1898, the North Alabama Conference College (later named Birmingham College) opened its doors to students.

For twenty years the two colleges were maintained by the Methodists of Alabama. Finally, on May 30, 1918, through their appointed commissioners, the two conferences consolidated these institutions under the name of Birmingham-Southern College. With no loss of time from the regular work at either place, the consolidation was effected, and the new institution opened its doors in Birmingham on September 11, 1918. Since that time, Birmingham-Southern College has grown rapidly and is now a fully accredited institution in every way.

Birmingham-Southern has consistently sought academic distinction. In 1937, its standards were recognized by the nation’s leading academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, which granted the College a charter to establish Alabama Beta.

Campus

The wooded 192 acre (780,000 m²) campus is located three miles (5 km) west of Downtown Birmingham. There are 45 buildings in all, and 25 of them have been renovated since 1976. There are many new facilties since 1998 including the Striplin Fitness Center, Norton Campus Center, the recently completed Elton B. Stephens Science Center of 100,000 square feet (9,000 m²), and the fraternity row. Under the leadership of President Dr. G. David Pollick, construction on a new lake, The Falls, as well as an Admissions House are expected to be completed by the end of the 2006-2007 academic year.

National Honor Societies

Birmingham-Southern is a sheltering institution for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is home to 20 other honorary or professional societies in various academic areas. The college established a new chapter of the business honorary Beta Gamma Sigma in 2003, joining 375 other schools, all accredited in business through AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, that honor top students by inducting them into lifetime membership in the society. Birmingham-Southern is one of only six baccalaureate-liberal arts institutions in the country to hold both AACSB International accreditation and the designation of Phi Beta Kappa and one of only six to hold Phi Beta Kappa and house a Beta Gamma Sigma chapter.

The Honor Council

The Honor Code established an Honor Council composed of 15 students as selected by the Student Government Association. This Council is in charge of hearing cases concerning the three tenets of lying, cheating, and stealing upon which the Code was built. Any honor violations governing student behavior or academic violations are brought before the Honor Council. Students must recognize the Council’s role of upholding the Honor Code as they enter the College by signing and agreeing to uphold the Code. While the role of students in maintaining the Honor Code is crucial, the ultimate responsibility for campus governance rests with the President of The College and other designated administrators as delegated by the Board of Trustees.

Academic calendar

There are two semesters and an interim term in January. This is a period spanning four weeks that allows students to explore their interest in creative activities. It is a process of intensive and experiential learning.

Athletics

BSC currently is a member of the Big South Conference, competing as a NCAA Division I member in 14 sports. As one of the smallest schools to offer Division I athletics, the school has had a great deal of difficulty raising sufficient funds to support the US $6,000,000 annual athletics budget. The school's endowment has been impacted to the point that its debt is now rated one level above junk bond levels. As a result, on May 20, 2006, the school's leadership announced plans to drop scholarship athletics and seek NCAA Division III membership. [1] The change should save several million dollars yearly, while the addition of football is expected to result in a net increase in overall revenue.

The college's application to join the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference was approved by a vote of league presidents on June 7, 2006. There will be a transition period of several years before BSC will become a full member of the conference. On June 15, 2006, Athletic Director Joe Dean Jr. announced that, owing to the number of scholarship athletes transferring elsewhere, BSC would not field teams in baseball or men's basketball for the 2006-07 academic year, meaning that for these sports, Division I participation was already ended.

Notable alumni

• Marguerite Johnston Barnes, author, journalist and historian
• Harvie Branscomb, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University
• Richard D. deShazo, Chair of the Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi
• Charles Gaines, author, journalist, screenwriter, editor
• Donald C. Harrison, President, American Heart Association
• Thomas K. Hearn, Jr, President, Wake Forest University
• Richard Kirkland, Managing Editor, Fortune Magazine
• Robert O. Miller, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
• Carol Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, Emory University
• Nancy Huddleston Packer, author
• Frank C. Osment, Executive Vice President and Director, Amoco
• C. Dowd Ritter, CEO of Regions Financial Corporation
• Howell Raines, Executive Editor, The New York Times
• Richard L. Rowan, Professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• James F. Sulzby, Jr, historian and civic leader
• Herbert B. West, President, The New York Community Trust Foundation
• John H. Yardley, Professor of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Frank B. Yeilding, Chairman, Jefferson Federal Savings & Loan Association, Birmingham

Faculty

Birmingham-Southern has a 12:1 student to faculty ratio, and of the full-time members of the faculty, more than 92 percent hold either a doctoral degree or the highest degree in their field.

Dr Charles Norman Mason, composer and Birmingham-Southern College professor of music, was awarded the prestigious Samuel Barber Rome Prize in Musical Composition during ceremonies April 14, 2006 in New York City.

Points of interest

The Southern Environmental Center is an environmental educational facility located on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College. Each year, hundreds of school children tour the facility's Interactive Museum and EcoScape.

References

• Brown, Donald A. (2005) Forward, Ever:Birmingham-Southern College at its Sesquicentennial.
• "Birmingham-Southern College", Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia 11:59UTC, 21 September 2006 [2]

External links

• Birmingham-Southern College website