BSC Faculty Handbook

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CHAPTER II. HISTORY, MISSION, GOVERNANCE, ADMINISTRATIVE
ORGANIZATION, FACULTY ORGANIZATION
IIA. GENERAL OVERVIEW
II.A.1. History and Charter
Birmingham-Southern College, hereinafter referred to as "the College," was created in 1918 by
the merger of Southern University (founded in 1856 in Greensboro, Alabama) with Birmingham
College (founded in 1898 in Birmingham, Alabama). The 1918 charter superseded the charters
of the two parent institutions, but remained substantively the same. Ownership of the College is
vested in the Board of Trustees, which is appointed by the Alabama-West Florida and the North
Alabama Conferences of the United Methodist Church.
The Board of Trustees approved in 1973, amended in 1974, and updated in May 1998, October
1999, and October 2003, a set of to aid in the governance of the College. Also in 1974,
the Board of Trustees and the United Methodist Church's North Alabama and Alabama-West
Florida Annual Conferences approved a new Certificate of Incorporation under the terms of the
Non-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Alabama. For purposes of law, the governance of the
College is, therefore, by a corporation. The new charter, or Certificate, carries forward all
privileges and immunities granted in earlier documents and incorporates them into one
instrument.
II.A.2. Accreditation/Memberships
The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges (SACSCOC) (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; Telephone number
404-679-4500) to award Bachelor’s degrees and by the University Senate of the United
Methodist Church. Its music degrees and programs are accredited by the National Association of
Schools of Music; its programs in teacher education are accredited by the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) and
approved by the Alabama State Department of Education; its chemistry program is approved by
the American Chemical Society. The College holds membership in the American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education, the American Council on Education, the Annapolis Group, the
Association of Alabama Independent Colleges and Universities, the Association of American
Colleges and Universities, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Council on Undergraduate Research, the
Fulbright Association, the General Board for Higher Education and Ministries, the International
Association of Methodist Related Schools, Colleges and Universities, the National Association
of College and University Business Officers, the National Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities, the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist
Church, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.. The College is a member of the
following consortia: the Associated Colleges of the South and the Birmingham Area Consortium
for Higher Education. It is a sheltering institution for Alabama Beta of Phi Beta Kappa.