Birmingham-Southern College announces it will close May 31

ACROSS ALABAMA: Birmingham Southern College has announced it will be closing due to financial problems.

Leaders say the college will close May 31 because it appears the Alabama Legislature will not take up its loan request.

Birmingham-Southern was founded in 1856, and is a private four-year liberal arts college on the western side of Birmingham. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has about 700 students as of last fall.

Birmingham-Southern had sought a loan of $30 million from the state to get back on its feet and sued when it didn’t get it.

The lawsuit was later dismissed.