HUNTSVILLE — “Start here. Go anywhere” is the Alabama A&M slogan.
And that may soon include Birmingham.
According to Shannon Reeves, AAMU vice president of Government Relations and External Affairs, the university has made an offer to purchase Birmingham-Southern College.
Reeves said he was not at liberty to discuss the financial details but the offer is reportedly around $52 million.
“If the purchase agreement is accepted by BSC, AAMU makes a commitment that the campus would not be subdivided for private industries or any other for-profit use,” Reeves said. “AAMU is committed to using the entire campus to provide a quality higher education experience for each and every student.”
Virginia Gilbert Loftin, BSC vice president for Advancement and Communications, would not confirm the offer from Alabama A&M.
“BSC continues to have conversations with several interested parties, but we have no definitive agreements with any entity at this time,” she said in a statement to 256 Today.
If accepted by the BSC board of trustees, the campus would operate as a standalone, independent campus under the AAMU umbrella with the university seeking to retain credentialed faculty and staff.
Reeves also confirmed that AAMU looks forward to the opportunity to partner with the neighborhood associations and other community-based organizations in west Birmingham and across the city.
“Our goal is one campus, one culture and one community,” he said.
If purchased, AAMU projects to have 1,000 students on the Alabama A&M University at Birmingham campus by the fall 2025 semester.
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