The former Birmingham-Southern College campus took on a new role Friday as the U.S. Coast Guard graduated its first class of service members at its new Birmingham training center.
Twenty-nine Coast Guardsmen completed a week-long leadership and management school course, a notable step since the Coast Guard began operating on the campus in early June. The service branch bought the property on the westside of Birmingham earlier this year. BSC closed in May 2024 after years of financial struggles.
Capt. Jacob McMillen said getting the first class underway required the Coast Guard to work through some logistical challenges, including figuring out how to use the former college’s facilities and accommodate students.
“We leaned hard on our Birmingham-Southern College partners that were working with us,” McMillen said.
Once the course began, McMillen said the campus proved well-suited for the Coast Guard’s leadership training mission.
During the course, students learned leadership and management principles and practiced them through group exercises. McMillen said the graduates will return to their units with skills they can use to lead personnel and improve operations.
The first graduation also marked the beginning of a larger plan for the property.
While McMillen said Coast Guard personnel are already using roughly 10 to 15 buildings across the campus, although some are not occupied every day, officials are working to revive more spaces including classrooms, housing and dining facilities. Additional staff and courses are expected as the Coast Guard builds up its leadership program in Birmingham.
For U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, whose 7th Congressional District includes the campus, the graduation represented a continuation of BSC’s tradition of education and public service.
“The mission may be different, but the legacy of education and service will continue right here on this campus,” Sewell said.
Sewell said the closure of BSC was deeply felt in the community, including by members of her congressional staff who attended the school.
She said the Coast Guard’s presence gives the campus a new purpose while providing an economic boost to the area.
“The fact that our national Coast Guard saw this facility, saw the very great potential it has, and is putting it to great use, is just a thrill that all of us are excited about,” Sewell said.
The Coast Guard also preserved a piece of Birmingham-Southern tradition during the graduation.
After the ceremony, the new graduates rang a bell on campus that BSC graduates traditionally rang after completing their degrees. McMillen said a former BSC student showed the Coast Guard graduates how the tradition had been carried out.
“We wanted to carry that forward,” McMillen said.
