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In the DuVall family’s hometown of Albany, Ga., most families
send their children to state schools for college. But Willis and
Dana DuVall had other hopes for their daughters.
“Willis and I both attended liberal arts colleges in the South,
and we really believe in the value of a small liberal arts college
experience,” explained Dana. “So naturally we wanted both of
our children to have that option.”
As Emily, their eldest, began her college search, the family
read through the book
Colleges That Change Lives
to plan campus
visits, coming up with an itinerary that would give Emily (and
her younger sister, Maggie, who tagged along) an overall picture
of the pros and cons of both large and small schools.
“We basically researched all the schools in the Southeast that
we wanted to visit—and that’s how we rst came to understand
what the price of tuition is these days at a small liberal arts
college,” recalled Willis.
The DuValls hoped Emily’s academic ability could earn her
merit scholarships, but also knew that federal aid formulas
would determine the family had no nancial need. “Still, we have
always valued education,” said Dana, “so we prioritized investing
in that for our daughters.”
Birmingham-Southern made the DuValls’ list on the
recommendation of Willis and Dana’s nephew, Andy Clack ’13,
who shared how happy he was on the Hilltop.
“We promised my sister-in-law that we would visit
Birmingham-Southern,” said Dana. “We went just to check it off
our list. But once we were there, we all knew there was no turning
back—that this was the college for Emily.”
“The rigor of the academics was our primary concern,” Willis
added. “And at BSC we saw that in combination with everybody
being interested in each student’s success, not only at college, but
in life.”
They spent the weekend on campus for Select ’Southern, one
of BSC’s open houses for prospective students and families,
where they were able to meet with admission staff and also with
professors.
“I was so impressed that the entire faculty turned out on a
Sunday afternoon,” added Dana. “I really felt a connection with
several of the professors and appreciated the opportunity to visit
with them in a casual setting. There was something about being
there and knowing it’s the right t for your child. When we left
BSC’s gates, I had tears of happiness in my eyes.”
Her instincts were right. Emily graduated in 2016 with a major
in history and a minor in art history, and her experience upheld
the family’s expectations. She is now continuing her education in
an art history master’s program at the University of Georgia.
“Emily truly experienced the added value of professors who
were accessible and invested in her success. There was always
someone there for her,” Dana said.
When the time for Maggie’s college search came around, the
younger DuVall kept BSC at the bottom of the list because she
didn’t want to be in her big sister’s shadow. But the lure of the
Hilltop ended up being too strong: two days before the May 1
deadline to notify colleges of intent to enroll, Maggie decided
BSC was the right t for her after all, and she’s now a junior
majoring in accounting.
“I read in college guidebooks that you’ll nd the one—the
perfect school,” Dana said. “For both of our daughters, that was
Birmingham-Southern.”
While the DuValls were thrilled by Maggie’s choice, having two
children enrolled in college was a nancial strain. “We always
told them that we would help pay for college. But it was a painful
year nancially when both girls were there at the same time,”
admitted Willis.
So when the DuValls heard that Birmingham-Southern would
be resetting its tuition price to a lower amount, their rst reaction
was “That’s a great idea!”
“We never told our children ‘You cannot go to that school
because it costs too much,’ but I know that happens for families,”
Willis said. “I just think getting down to the real number is
important, so the college can say, “Hey, this is what it is, and
we’re not going to give out a merit scholarship just to get the cost
down, but rather because you really deserve it.”
“I’ll say this: Based on the tuition that we have been paying
for our children, I could not be more pleased and feel like we
received our money’s worth from the girls being at Birmingham-
Southern,” he added. “So when the tuition goes down, I expect
the people who bene t from the price reset will be jumping for
joy. I know we would!”
Investing in their
family’s future