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In fall of 2016, BSC launched Bridge to the
Future, a three-year initiative designed to ensure
the college’s future success. The effort also
includes ambitious goals for student enrollment,
faculty support, and opportunities for BSC to
deepen its connection to the community.
The fundraising component kicked off with a
generous lead gift from BSC Trustee Jim Pierce
’74 and his wife, Tammy; other BSC trustees and
leaders are also on board, along with alumni and
friends. As of Aug. 1, Bridge to the Future is almost
halfway to its $30 million goal.
For more information and to become part of this
groundbreaking effort, visit or
connect with us at (205) 226-4909.
the internships, the consortium organizes an annual symposium on
poverty and offers staff and faculty development.
BSC’s distinction isn’t designed to supplant traditional majors, but
to enhance students’ understanding of disciplines likely to intersect
with poverty-related issues.
Harper said at BSC, that’s likely to mean some students
participating will already know they want to focus on solving
the complex problems of poverty by going into community
development, public policy, public health, and more.
“Whatever eld of study or career path they choose, exposure to
the issues of poverty and to people living in poverty informs our
students and encourages active citizenship,” she said. “Whether
you’re going to be a teacher, a business owner, or a doctor, it’s
important that you understand issues of economic disparity.”
Buiga Sunrise School
For the third year in a row, BSC students will travel to Mukono,
Uganda, this January to work with the nonpro t school called the
Buiga Sunrise School; 16 students have already enrolled in the
Exploration Term experience. In the past, the students have focused
on helping with curriculum development, English teaching, and
other services for the local students.
This year, they’ll be accompanied by Maggie Besh ’17, who has
already spent two E-Terms at the Sunrise School as a student. She’ll
stay on for a year to help teach English and writing—and to deepen
the relationship between BSC and Buiga.
“Our dream is that Maggie can help us strengthen our partnership
by getting to know community members and helping us to prepare
to bring other groups of students,” Harper said. In the future, that
could lead to teacher exchanges between Buiga and Bush Hills
Academy, the neighborhood school with which BSC has had a
partnership for over 20 years.
Bonner Leaders
The Bonner Leader Program, which was developed by the
nationally-known Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, is a four-
year scholarship program designed to provide college access to low-
income students who have a passion for community engagement.
BSC—the only Bonner campus in Alabama—recruited its rst class
through the Bunting Center in 2015, with plans to add at least ve
new students a year. Participants receive a $2,500 scholarship and a
community-based federal work-study position; they commit to being
engaged in the community 8-10 hours a week throughout their four
years at Birmingham-Southern.
“This lets us reach out to high school students who are committed
to community engagement and attract them to BSC,” Harper said.
“They try out lots of community partners their rst year, then choose
one or two to get involved on a deeper level.”
Current students have taken on coaching youth teams for
Northstar Soccer Ministries, a local program that brings soccer into
low-income urban neighborhoods; raising awareness and funds for
Red Mountain Park; and working with the Blueprints College Access
Program through the anti-poverty group Alabama Possible.
Like the Shepherd Consortium, joining the Bonner community
connects BSC to a network of about 70 schools across the country
and offers additional resources for faculty, staff, and students.
Service-learning courses
In addition to specialty
programs, Harper says
one of the greatest areas
of growth has been BSC
faculty integrating service
learning into their courses
or into rise3 experiences
for students. Much service
learning happens in areas
where you’d expect it, like
poverty studies, public
health, education, and
sociology.
But others think outside
the box. Medicinal chemistry
includes a public service
project, where students communicate with the public on a chemistry-
related topic; last year’s focused on the dosing and disposal of
medication. A course called “Theatre’s Call to Action” sent students
to Bush Hills Academy to interview teachers and create a drama,
which they then performed at the school. And a project in history is
looking to capture the stories of those who lived through the civil
rights-era bombings in the nearby Smith eld neighborhood, then
dubbed “Dynamite Hill.”
“We’ve made a real effort to work with faculty to adopt criteria
for service-learning designated courses, which are now identi ed in
the college’s catalog,” Harper said. “We have always had a handful
of service-learning courses. With the development of the rise3
program, we are able to increase not only the quantity of service-
learning courses, but also the quality.”
Building
a Bridge
PHILANTHROPY
Dr. Peter and Derry Bunting