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Building Bridges for BSC
A generous $2 million lead gift from BSC Board Member
Jim Pierce ’74 and his wife, Tammy, kicked off Birmingham-
Southern’s new fundraising campaign, Bridge to the Future.
The giving initiative, announced in December, set an
ambitious three-year goal to raise $30 million to build on the
college’s strength as a national-caliber liberal arts institution by
allowing BSC to introduce new academic programs, increase
the size of the student body, and give back to Birmingham.
News of the effort made a splash locally.
“School leaders are already focused on improved
curriculum with new majors and programs launching for the
(upcoming) school year,” the Birmingham Business Journal
wrote, adding that the initiative “will allow for sustainable
and diverse enrollment growth, a stable financial platform,
and support of the larger and nearby community.”
That’s key right now for the college, said BSC President
Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, as it makes a commitment to
improve Birmingham’s western area and provide more
hands-on learning opportunities for students (to learn
more, see p. 31).
“We have the opportunity to impact not just the lives
of our students, but through them to improve the quality
of life in our neighborhoods, our city, our state, and our
world,” Flaherty-Goldsmith said.
A successful fundraising initiative will also allow BSC
to make an enrollment leap to stay competitive in the
marketplace, she said. Her goal is to expand from the 1,300
students currently on campus to 1,600 by 2020. There are
three main ways the Bridge funds will help reach that target.
First, donations will help provide scholarship support to
ensure that great students have access to a BSC education.
Second, they’ll cover much-needed renovations to first-year
residence halls Margaret and Cullen Daniel, which house
first-year women, and New Men’s, which houses first-year
men and is slated for work to begin this summer. And
last—but not at all least—they will support the college’s
PHILANTHROPY