Alabama A&M University wants to purchase the campus of Birmingham-Southern College after it closes its doors on May 31. BSC, a private liberal arts college that opened 168 years ago, failed to obtain a loan from the state Legislature, which would have allowed it to remain open.

“Birmingham-Southern College is having conversations with several interested parties about the sale of the campus,” Virginia Loftin, BSC vice president for advancement and communications, told AL.com.

Alabama A&M began discussions with BSC after the announcement of its closure. It is hoping to turn BSC’s campus into the Birmingham branch of A&M. It is also seeking state funding to help with the purchase.

“In the coming weeks, we’re looking to make a formal offer to the board at Birmingham-Southern for consideration,” Shannon Reaves, vice president of governmental affairs and external relations at Alabama A&M, told the news outlet.

The HBCU wants to retain some of the BSC faculty and academic programs, as well as maintain ties to the alumni community and its history.

“We’re not going to come in and wipe away the legacy of Birmingham-Southern,” Reaves said. “It will be well recognized. It is a part of the fabric of that community. So you want alums of Birmingham Southern to still come back annually and have class reunions and the like.”

“Our plan is for it to be a full-service, robust opportunity where students can have a great four-year education and benefit from graduate programs that we have in Huntsville as well,” she added.

Birmingham-Southern CollegeHBCU