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The three-year, $30-million Bridge to the
Future fundraising initiative will support
three strategic goals for building BSC’s
next century:
1. Achieve sustainable and diverse
enrollment growth for the next 100
years on the Hilltop.
Additional funds will increase access
to BSC’s transformative education and
allow the college to offer groundbreaking
programs designed to equip future
professionals within a liberal arts
framework. BSC will continue with its
innovative curriculum designed to ensure
that all students graduate with the skills
employers and graduate schools seek, and
increase access for a broad range of students.
2. Create a stable financial platform
for growth and to enhance student
success.
Funds raised will allow BSC to
provide scholarship support, build
new programs, improve campus
infrastructure, and continue to
prepare students through the Krulak
Institute for Leadership, Experiential
Education, and Civic Engagement and
other expanded experiential learning
opportunities.
3. Support and engage the larger
community.
BSC is one of Birmingham’s most enduring
and valuable institutions, with more than
300 employees and an estimated annual
economic impact of $128 million. Its
graduates make up a large segment of
professionals in the city and the state.
BSC plans to reinvest in the community—
especially in neighborhoods surrounding
the campus—through a meaningful and
forward-thinking academic curriculum that
takes the classroom to the community and
that brings the community to the classroom.
efforts to launch several new programs, including an innovative
Creative and Applied Computing major that is expected to bring
in more students looking for opportunities to study this cutting-
edge topic in a liberal arts setting.
The Board of Trustees is driving the fundraising effort, making
its own financial commitment and assigning outreach tasks to
each member. Board members Hatton Smith, Liz Featheringill
Pharo ’00, and Richard Yeilding ’73 are serving as volunteer co-
chairs on the project.
“BSC is on the cusp of greatness, and while we’re already
respected as a top national liberal arts college, it’s time for us to
make sure that we’re bringing in the best students from all over
the world,” Smith said. “The community values Birmingham-
Southern, and BSC alumni drive the city forward. The Bridge to
the Future will allow the community an opportunity to invest in
the college’s future.”
The Pierces jumped at the opportunity to take the lead on that
front. Pierce, whose BSC scholarship allowed him to earn his
degree while working full-time as a computer operator for a local
bank, said that his experiences at and support from the college
put him on the path to success. After graduation, a professor
encouraged him to apply to the Wharton School of Business,
where he received a fellowship and completed a graduate
degree in cost accounting. After 10-year stints with Anderson
Consulting and Arthur Young, he started his own company, sold
it, and retired at 48.
Two years later, after assisting a friend in writing a business
plan, he stayed on, helping create Isagenix International, an
Arizona-based health and wellness company that reached nearly
$1 billion in global sales in 2016; he is now an investor and board
member there. He and Tammy, who call the Florida panhandle
their home, have also donated generously to child protection and
founded the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center/Pierce
Family CAC in South Walton.
“There is no question that BSC changed my life,” Pierce said.
“Tammy and I want to ensure that the next generation of students
has the opportunity to receive the kind of hands-on, high-caliber
education that this college offers—and that’s becoming even
more important as our world is becoming more complex. We are
so excited about everything that’s happening right now on the
campus and with the new strong leadership.”
If you are interested in supporting Bridge to the Future, please
contact the Office of Advancement at (205) 226-4909 or email
[email protected].