WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard will acquire the now-closed Birmingham-Southern College campus to house its new training facilities, Alabama federal lawmakers announced Wednesday.
The Coast Guard will use the 192-acre campus to help train recruits. Birmingham-Southern was chosen for meeting multiple requirements, such as housing for 1,200 recruits, a medical facility and classrooms. The Coast Guard launched its search for a location for the center last year. The college ceased operations in 2024.
“Last year’s recruitment exceeded 110% of active-duty enlisted goals, and the Coast Guard is on track to add 15,000 new members by 2028,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “This next generation of heroes deserves training centers and support facilities worthy of their mission, and that is exactly what they are going to have in Alabama.”
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said she advocated directly to Noem for the Birmingham site to be chosen for the new hub.
“It was actually an idea that I came up with alongside my team, knowing as the subcommittee chair for Homeland Security Appropriations, knowing the needs of the Coast Guard, and then uniquely being situated to know the assets and opportunities that we have in the state of Alabama,” Britt told Alabama Daily News. “We thought… this may be a great match.”
After the purchase is complete, the Coast Guard will begin refitting the campus to serve its new purpose.
“Although we will always grieve the closing of our beloved college in 2024, we believe the sale of our campus to the Coast Guard for this purpose – supporting the training, education, and ongoing development of the people who serve in our nation’s premier maritime protection force — is a terrific outcome for our city, our state, and the neighborhood we called home for more than 100 years,” Rev. Keith D. Thompson, chair of the BSC Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
The 168-year-old Methodist-affiliated school closed in 2024 after years of financial difficulties. Legislative efforts to save the school through state loans failed. Legislation to secure a taxpayer-backed loan for the college had stalled in the Alabama State House.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said the selection of Birmingham-Southern “will save the American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The sale price of the campus was not immediately available Wednesday.
Tuberville said the new center will bring 1-2,000 permanent jobs to Birmingham.
“I know that the great work that the men and women of the Coast Guard do is so critically important always, but now, in particular with heightened threat levels here in the United States,” Britt told ADN. “And I think I’m really proud that the Coast Guard is going to call Birmingham home.”
As a Birmingham-Southern alumnus, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, expressed his support for the college campus continuing to be a place for “those seeking to learn and improve their lives.”
The new training facility is part of the Coast Guard’s 2028 plan to turn it “into a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force.”
“The acquisition of the historic Birmingham-Southern College as our new training center is a critical step in our Force Design 2028 strategy, providing the right facilities necessary to grow our service and ensure the Coast Guard stands always ready,” Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commandant, said.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, whose district includes the college, celebrated the announcement.
“This monumental investment will breathe new life into the campus while bringing hundreds of new jobs and economic opportunities to the surrounding communities,” Sewell said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Birmingham-Southern best met the needs of the Coast Guard with its “turn-key ready facilities” and had “all the service’s eligibility criteria with nominal investment compared to new construction.”
Gov. Kay Ivey said, “Alabama always stands ready to support our incredible U.S. Armed Forces and our law enforcement.”
“I was proud to push for this move and thrilled this campus will continue preparing future leaders,” she added in a post on social media.
Britt told ADN she plans to have conversations over the next couple of days to begin the transition.
Training missions at Birmingham-Southern are expected to begin later this year.
This story has been updated with additional comments from Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville.