Over the spring and summer, Birmingham-Southern made a wide variety of campus improvements while most of our students, faculty, and staff were off campus.

Panther Perk, the new coffee and dessert shop inside of Norton Campus Center, is now in its soft open mode. Named by a poll from the student body, Panther Perk is located right next to the Caf with all new seating. The shop offers coffee, milkshakes, sundaes, pastries, and hot breakfast sandwiches as we begin the fall term.

“We are excited about the whole menu and concept,” says Jason Hall, general manager of Bon Appétit at BSC.  “It will be starting with a very limited menu due to CDC guideline restrictions in our kitchens and will develop over time.”

Students also have access to more outside seating areas around Norton and the Alumni Fountain. In May, SGA and the Hilltop Parent and Family Fund provided new tables, chairs, and umbrellas around the fountain as a gift in honor of the Class of 2020. There are also new tables stretching down from Norton towards the Academic Quad.

As students prepare for their classes, they’ve been introduced to Barnes & Noble College, now managing the BSC Bookstore. Barnes & Noble College provides students and faculty with an extensive offering of academic solutions and a vast assortment of affordable learning materials, as well as revamped retail to show off our Panther pride. You can read more about this change here.

Repairs and installations across campus include the roof on the Sports Center, the air conditioning unit in the theatre, the chiller in Norton, and campus-wide LED lighting. The lights have been installed in Norton Center, Library, Stephens Science Building, Striplin Fitness Center, and all outdoor lighting on campus.

“We are pleased to have made some improvements to campus while students were away,” says Lane Estes, Vice President for Administration and COO. “The new LED light installations on campus will reduce energy usage, improve the quality of the light, and enhance safety with improved outdoor lighting.”

Along with these improvements, the BSC community will find hand sanitizer stands across campus and signs to direct traffic flow and social distancing to keep us healthy during the ongoing pandemic. Also, air ionization technology is being added in classroom buildings to improve and control air quality.

Cahaba Medical Care also has an on-campus office for testing during the term. You can read more about COVID-specific changes and protocols at bsc.edu/coronavirus.html.