Birmingham – Southern College Birmingham – Southern College ( BSC ) is a private liberal arts college located three miles ( 5 km ) northwest of downtown Birmingham , Alabama , United States . Founded in 1856 , it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church . Approximately 1400 students from 30 states and 23 countries attend the college . BSC has a 12 : 1 student - faculty ratio , and 98 % of full - time faculty hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field . History . Birmingham – Southern College was created from the merger of Southern University , of Greensboro , Alabama , founded in 1856 , with Birmingham College , opened in 1898 in Birmingham , Alabama . Birmingham - Southern has been ranked among the best liberal arts colleges in the United States and was profiled in Loren Pope ' s " Colleges That Change Lives " . On March 21 , 2011 Birmingham Southern named General Charles Krulak as their 13th president . Cultural and financial crises . In 2006 , three BSC students were charged with burning down nine Alabama churches . Within 24 hours the college president , Dr . David Pollick , committed the college to rebuild all nine churches with the institution ' s human resources of faculty , staff and students . With assistance and support arriving from throughout the nation and without the use of college financial resources , all nine churches were rebuilt and dedicated within two years . In 2009 , having discovered defects in the internal financial procedures and audits of the college occurring over several decades , the college announced on June 14 , 2010 they would have to make budget cuts of $ 10million , around 20 % of total budget . Among other practices , the college had been adding Pell Grants to financial aid packages without adjusting the amount the college added . Other inappropriate accounting practices that had been taking place over decades were discovered at this time , as well . In July 2010 , the college introduced a plan to lay off 29 full and part - time faculty members and 51 staff members over a period of time . The school also planned to phase out five majors : accounting , computer science , dance , French , and German in the 2011 - 2012 academic year . In July 2011 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) placed the school on warning status due to problems with core requirements of financial stability . Greek life . Fraternities and sororities organize campus social events and service projects . Athletics . Birmingham - Southern athletic teams are known as the Panthers . Birmingham - Southern is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and competes at the Division III level in the Southern Athletic Association . The college was originally a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ( NAIA ) and enjoyed a successful run in NAIA prior to joining the NCAA . In 2000 the college became first Alabama college to join the primarily east coast Big South Conference at the Division I level . Shortly after gaining full Division I membership in 2006 , the board announced its intention to join Division III because of costs . At the time fielded 14 sports , adding five sports . Panther Stadium hosted its first home football game on 8 November 2008 . The stadium features an athletic building that includes a press box , coach ’ s offices , meeting rooms , athletic training room , officials ' dressing room and locker rooms for football , lacrosse , track and field , and cross country . In 2011 , the college became a full member of NCAA Division III after the multi - year reclassification process from Division I . The college currently fields 18 sports , nine men ' s and nine women ' s , including : Men ' s sports Women ' s sports College Presidents . Birmingham – Southern College Points of interest . The Southern Environmental Center is an environmental educational facility on the BSC campus . Each year , hundreds of school children tour the facility ' s Interactive Museum and EcoScape .