Where did the name Birmingham-Southern come from?

Birmingham-Southern College is a result of a merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Ala., in 1856, with Birmingham College, opened in 1898 in Birmingham, Ala. These two Methodist-affiliated institutions were consolidated on May 30, 1918, under the name of Birmingham-Southern College. Even during those antebellum times, the college upheld a strong academic reputation.

Now, 150 years later, BSC serves a diverse student body of more than 1,200, who represent 33 states, including California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Mississippi, and 8 foreign countries, including Argentina, China, and Germany. BSC thrives as a multi-talented and varied community that is ranked nationally as one of America’s top liberal arts colleges.

The college uses the nicknames ’Southern and The Hilltop often in a number of print and online publications, including our quarterly alumni magazine called ’Southern, our monthly alumni e-newsletter From the Hilltop, and our monthly student newspaper The Hilltop News. No one knows who first used the phrase “The Hilltop,” but it is used affectionately as early as 1898 to refer to the college and its elevated location just three miles west of downtown Birmingham.