Public Lifelines for Private Colleges

For months Birmingham-Southern College (AL) officials warned that financial pressures might force the institution to close, pleading with the state to step in and help. Last month the Alabama Legislature did just that, creating a loan program to support struggling private colleges in the state. The legislation establishing the loan program, which awaits the signature of Republican governor Kay Ivey, is fairly limited in scope but unusual in the sense that it essentially provides a public lifeline for private colleges. With Ivey expected to sign the bill, Birmingham-Southern officials hope the loan will revitalize their battered campus.