Birmingham-Southern President Resigns, Interim Named

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Although leadership was expected to change soon at Birmingham-Southern College, that timetable was moved up considerably last week, as the school's president stepped down earlier than expected. Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith announced her resignation this week, after an announcement in August saying she would finish out the school year.

Flaherty-Goldsmith said in her August announcementthat some family health issues had forced her to need to spend more time with family and would prevent her from carrying on her duties as the school's president. Monday she said the timetable has sped up.

“I am making this decision with deep sadness and after much internal soul searching,” she said. “I have loved this college since first joining the BSC family in 2010, and I have been grateful for the opportunity to lead this great institution even briefly. I have total confidence in the team and all of BSC’s supporters, and know that Birmingham-Southern will continue to be Birmingham’s beacon for the liberal arts.”

The interim president will be BSC Provost Bradley J. Caskey. He has been provost since 2017 after more than three decades of leadership at University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he was most recently dean of its arts and sciences college.

“During this time of transition, I look forward to working with those on campus and beyond to keep our current initiatives moving in a positive direction and to identify and implement new actions designed to increase the impact of a BSC education,” Caskey said.

During Flaherty-Goldsmith's time as president, the college has added new majors, signed more articulation agreements, created new partnerships and re-examined the school's curriculum. The college had a record number of transfer students this year.

A search committee has already been assembled to find Flaherty-Goldsmith's replacement.

Photo via BSC